Passengers wait for flights at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, on January 13, 2017. [Photo/CFP]

CHINESE PASSENGERS are allowed to use their passports, instead of identity cards, to book and board domestic flights, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Tuesday. The statement came in response to some reports that said, at several airports passengers are also required to present their IDs while boarding a domestic flight even if they had booked tickets using their passports. Legal Daily commented on Thursday:

The CAAC's clarification came just one day after the reports were published creating confusion among passengers. The new guidelines on civil aviation security from the country's top aviation authority, which took effect on Jan 1, require passengers to present valid IDs, including passports, to board domestic flights.

It is thus surprising that some airports, including Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Zhuhai Airport, both in Guangdong province, refused to accept a passport as valid identification for Chinese passengers earlier this month. Their misinterpretation of the aviation rules caused unnecessary delays for passengers.

Of the 29 airports in 28 provincial-level regions, including the four municipalities, which China Daily reporters contacted on Monday, 13 required Chinese passengers to carry their identity cards to fly within the country, including those who had booked an international flight with their passport and intended to use one of China's airports as a stopover.

An estimated 430 million people flew with Chinese airlines in 2015, which shows flights are the preferred mode of transport for many people in the country. As such, passengers deserve proper service, not mixed signals, from airport authorities.

A major question that remains unanswered is: Why have the revised aviation rules not been followed by all airports over the more than four months?

Clearly, there has been a lack of understanding among aviation authorities at all levels. It is not yet known why some airports required identity cards from Chinese residents to board a flight while others didn't. The misunderstanding could have been avoided had those airport authorities thoroughly read the CAAC guidelines, and the aviation authorities informed passengers that they should book and board a flight using the same ID.