Wide coverage of high speed rail provides more options for travellers, but may not hurt the aviation sector as much as you'd think, as discounted airfares for some routes may be even lower than high speed rail tickets.

"The high speed railway has advantages in short distance routes. But for long distance routes, like those with over 4 hours of ride, prices of the rail tickets are the same with or even higher than some discounted airlines tickets," said Wang Shijun, Kunming Fly Travel.

High speed railway from Kunming to Shanghai cost 879 yuan, while after discounts, the lowest airfare is only 230 yuan in January.

Insiders say though airfares may be higher during holidays, prices in other periods are always discounted. So more high speed railways may attract some passengers traveling short distances, but won't impact the whole aviation sector as many travelers would still choose to fly for farther destinations.