South China's Hainan to create intl aviation hub to boost free trade port construction

BEIJING - South China's island province Hainan is accelerating the construction work of the expansion project of Haikou Meilan International Airport to serve the development of its free trade port.

The second phase of the project in Haikou, capital of Hainan, is expected to be ready for operation in 2020, according to the Haikou Meilan International Airport.

The project is anticipated to better serve Hainan's development as an international trade hub and a free trade port with a comprehensive modern transportation system.

So far, the construction of the new runway, terminal, and airport transport facilities have all entered the final stage. The key works of the project are expected to be completed by June 30.

This under-construction second phase of the Haikou Meilan International Airport expansion project includes a 4F-level aircraft movement area, the highest level in China's civil aviation industry, which will be capable of handling the takeoff and landing of the A380 superjumbo jet.

The new project will help the airport achieve its annual throughput target of 4.2 million international passengers initially, and the number is expected to reach 10 million in the future.

On June 1, Chinese authorities released a master plan for the Hainan free trade port, which aims to build the southern island province into a globally-influential high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.

A free trade port system focusing on trade and investment liberalization and facilitation will be "basically established" in Hainan by 2025 and become "more mature" by 2035, according to the plan jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council.

Advanced technologies, such as the seismic isolation technique, have been applied in the terminal construction.