Qinhuangdao in northern China’s Hebei province began constructing the Beidaihe Airport on June 1. Jiao Yanlong, director of Hebei Provincial Bureau of Transportation, Wang Santang, party Secretary of the Qingahuangdao Municipal Committee, Zhu Haowen, mayor of Qinhuangdao and other leaders attended the commencement ceremony.

The Beidaihe Airport serves as a branch line for tourism and is located in the southern part of Jiatuo Village, Longjiadian Town of Changli county, 47 kilometers from downtown Qinhuangdao to the airport. The airport covers an area of 2346 mu, or 156.4 hectares, with a 2600 meter-long runaway and a terminal building of 8600 square meters. The total investment is estimated to be 487 million yuan. The project will be completed in two years time and will be open for operation in 2012. The airport is able to accommodate large and medium-sized planes. The airport also has an annual capacity of handling 500,000 passengers and 1200 tons of goods.

Beidaihe Airport will play a significant role in improving the city’s transportation system and investment environments. The airport will enhance the core competitiveness of Qinhuangdao, and even Hebei province, officials said.

Qinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport is part of the Eleventh-Five-Year Plan and a key project for Qihuangdao and Hebei province. On 22 March 2010, CAA (National Civil Aviation Administration) officially approved the project.

By Guo Changdong and Liu Xiang