Commuter airport to be built in NE China

CHANGCHUN - A small commuter airport will be built in Northeast China's Jilin province, to boost cooperation and development among northeast Asian countries, said a local official on Friday.

Construction will start on the Hunchun commuter airport in May 2014 and the airport should be open in October 2015, with an investment of 300 million yuan ($49 million), said Jiang Yingwen, head of the Hunchun Municipal Development and Reform Bureau.

According to plan, the airport will cater to flights to nearby cities of neighboring countries such as Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with aircraft of about 60 seats, Jiang told Xinhua.

The airport is in Hadamen Township, 10 km east of downtown Hunchun City and 130 km from Yanji international airport.

It is part of the aviation industry park within Hunchun international cooperation demonstration zone. The industrial park will cost 6.2 billion yuan and covers 570,000 square meters.