China’s equivalent to the US’ Global Positioning System (GPS) has gained an international qualification that allows it to expand into global commercial aviation, with the “important milestone” a potential boost for the technology, analysts said. The home-grown BeiDou system has been recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation as one of its standards, becoming a universal satellite navigation system for civil flights globally, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Wednesday. The Chinese system, completed in 2020, has 56 positioning satellites in its network.
