Hechi Airport sees new milestone for air travel

Hechi Jinchengjiang Airport sits on top of a mountain. [Photo/Hechi Daily]

On July 10, flight CZ5327, operated by China Southern Airlines, landed smoothly at Hechi Jinchengjiang Airport, marking the opening of the Guangzhou-Hechi-Mianyang route.

The route is the first time that Hechi has connected to domestic first-tier cities, central cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and international aviation hub cities. It also ended the airport's hostory of operating only regional flights.

Hechi Jinchengjiang Airport is one of the regional airports constructed by the national government in the western region during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2005-10), boasting a total investment of 850 million yuan ($125.8 million). Its runway is 2,200 meters long and 45 meters wide. The airport is surrounded by 300-meter-high cliffs and deep ditches. When viewed from above, it looks like an aircraft carrier, that is why it is also called "hilltop aircraft carrier".

Hechi is located in a mountainous area with complex terrain, making it difficult to find flat land suitable for building an airport. During the airport construction application process, 22 sites were adopted due to various considerations. Finally, Jiantang Mountain, located at the junction of Hechi town in Jinchengjiang district and Chehe town in Nandan county, was identified as the site of the airport.

The airport started construction on Dec 3, 2008 and was completed in six years, overcoming a variety of conditions that made construction difficult. On Aug 29, 2014, a CRJ900 passenger plane from Chongqing landed at Hechi Jinchengjiang Airport, marking its official opening.

Over the past 10 years, the airport has opened flights to Chongqing, Changsha, Xi'an, Haikou, Guilin, Huizhou, Guiyang, Tianjin, and other cities, adding more route choices for passengers and improving the city's accessibility.

While contributing to the development of the civil aviation and general aviation industry, Hechi Jinchengjiang Airport will also make efforts to build a beautiful regional airport for tourism and health care in northwest Guangxi.