A 4,800-meter-long runway is under construction at Golmud Airport, northwest China's Qinghai Province, making it the country's longest civil airport runway on completion.
Golmud Airport was originally a small airport built in the 1970s to handle only light aircraft. With the implementation of the "western development" strategy, Golmud is at the forefront of mineral resources exploration. The construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has spurred the urgent need for expansion of the airport.
Chen Baocheng, an official in charge of the airport expansion project, said the whole project would cost 120 million yuan (US$14.5 million), with 66 million yuan (US$7.95 million) for runway construction.
He said Golmud is in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, and its low oxygen levels would affect aircraft mechanical dynamics, necessitating longer take-offs. The runway expansion would compensate for the shortcoming.
The whole reconstruction work of Golmud Airport will be completed by the end of August, enabling it to accommodate all types of large aircraft.
(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2003)
