OREANDA-NEWS. May 4, 2012. Jiuhuashan Airport, which began construction in August 2009, is expected to be put into service in July 2012.

"Over 11 million cubic meters of earth and stone works in the aircraft movement area have been completed, and currently, the runways are being constructed. And the projects of navigational lighting aid system, communication and navigation system, and meteorological observation system are in progress simultaneously," said Wu Fei, director of Jiuhuashan Airport construction headquarters.

Forty percent of the 2400-long, 40-wide airport runway project has been completed, and the construction of the whole aircraft movement area is to be finished completely in late July.

According to Wu, the air traffic control building, the central building of the terminal area began construction in late March. "The 30-meter high control tower is to be completed in three months."

"Meanwhile, the projects of the patrol roads, water supply and sewage systems, greening, and lighting in the terminal area are in full swing. Currently, over ten small and large project departments are carrying out comprehensive constructions," said Wu. "We are required to complete all the projects before late August."

"When all the projects have been completed, we plan to do a flight calibration test and trial flight," said Wu. Although timing is tight, "we must complete the project with quality guaranteed and make sure that Jiuhuashan Airport can be put into service in late 2012."

Jiuhuashan Airport is located in Meilong sub-district, Guichi district, Chizhou city, and is about 20 kilometers from the downtown areas of Chizhou and Tongling and Jiuhuashan Mountain Scenic Spot.

In late 2011, Anhui Civil Aviation Airport Group Co Ltd signed a strategic cooperative agreement with Chizhou Municipal Government. After the completion of the airport, the Anhui Civil Aviation Airport Group Company will be responsible for managing and operating the airport. Flights to Beijing, Xiamen, Qingdao (or Yantai), Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Xi’an will be opened first, and international flights to Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia are to be opened gradually, probably through the form of chartered flights.