China has begun construction of another general aviation airport in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Provence, in the center of the country. With a plot of land occupying approximately 75 acres, Caidian General Aviation Airport, named after the city’s Caidian district, will serve the pilot training community, as well as provide support for low-altitude sightseeing, aircraft flight testing and emergency rescue and air patrol services, according to local officials. A surrounding industrial park of 2,500 acres is also planned.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2018, with the airport entering service the following year. It will join the city’s Hannan General Aviation Airport, which began operations at the end of October and is the country’s largest dedicated GA airport, covering more than 900 acres and featuring a 5,250-foot runway. According to the 13th five-year development plan for general aviation issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, by the year 2020 the number of general aviation aircraft in the country is expected to surpass 500.