BEIJING — China's civil aviation industry has become smarter thanks to continuous efforts in injecting new-generation digital technologies and management modes into the sector.

In 2021, major progress was achieved in building a smart civil aviation industry in fields such as airport management and aircraft inflight connectivity, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

By the end of 2021, 66 airports nationwide were capable of providing facial recognition service, showed data from the CAAC.

Meanwhile, 234 airports could serve their passengers with a "paperless" journey by introducing e-boarding and e-security checks, allowing passengers to travel with only their identification cards and eliminating the need for conventional paper boarding tickets.

By the end of 2021, 842 aircraft in China's civil aviation fleet were capable of providing inflight Wi-Fi service.

China has also launched an "easy security check" service, which provides safer and more efficient security check measures, at major airports with an annual passenger throughput of more than 10 million.

"It's a new security-check mode sustained by information technologies," said Li Tong, deputy head with the public security bureau of the CAAC. " Under ideal conditions, passengers could save up to half the time by going through the new security check at airports."

The application of digital technologies is of great importance to ensuring safety, efficiency and sustainable growth.

The CAAC is committed to making the industry smarter by integrating new-generation digital technologies into the whole industry — from air travel, air logistics and customs clearance, to the industry's operation and supervision, according to the CAAC's smart aviation strategy.

The administration has also been actively promoting the radio-frequency identification technology in luggage tracking, automatic luggage check-in, and intelligent inquiry services, among others.

Innovation is among the key tasks of the CAAC in ensuring high-quality development of the industry this year, with smart aviation as a highlight.

The administration said it will also boost the development of the BeiDou navigation system and the industrial application of 5G technology in the civil aviation sector.