Runway construction begins for east China airport

NANCHANG -- Runway construction has begun for a new regional airport in east China's Jiangxi province that will greatly boost local tourism after completion, said local authorities on Thursday.

Sanqingshan Airport in Shangrao City will cost an estimated 700 million yuan (about $114 million), including a loan of $50 million from the World Bank.

Near Mount Sanqingshan National Park, which features on UNESCO's World Heritage List, the airport will open domestic routes to major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

Its design was recently approved by the east China regional branch of the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Jiangxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

The construction of the airport will fully consider its environmental impact, according to the commission.

The airport, with a runway 2,400 meters long and 45 meters wide, will be competed in 2015. It is expected to have an annual passenger throughput of 750,000 and an annual cargo output of 4,500 tons.

Jiangxi, dubbed the "cradle of the Chinese revolution," still had 3.85 million poverty-stricken people in its rural areas as of the end of last year. China has vowed to step up efforts to reduce poverty in such regions.