Yangzhou Taizhou airport sets on course to be expanded

The second-phase expansion project of the Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport starts construction on April 18. [Photo/WeChat ID: tzfabu]

The Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport – located in Yangzhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province, and 20-minute drive from downtown Taizhou – held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 18 for the main construction of the second-phase expansion project (airfield).

Attendees were told that on completion, it will be able to handle "tens of millions" of passengers annually, from the current level of millions.

The second-phase expansion project of the airport was launched in 2019 with a total investment of about 5.6 billion yuan ($813.4 million). The project was designed to meet the demands of handling 10 million passengers, 50,000 tons of cargo and delivery and 88,670 takeoffs and landings by 2030.

The project mainly includes the construction of a 3,200-meter parallel taxiing runway and 36 aircraft parking positions, a new T2 terminal building and bridge with a floor space of 97,000 square meters and a transportation center covering about 30,000 sq m.

"The second-phase project is three times larger than the first-phase project," said an airport official, adding that the project will innovatively use Building Information Modeling technology throughout the construction process – and actively explore paperless inspections, digital audits and operations and maintenance – to build a "digital twin airport."

Meanwhile, the airport will construct an eco-friendly terminal building and move to join the first batch of three-star green buildings under the new national standard.

The airport will also refer to the 5A scenic area standard to design the terminal area, construct a tourist distribution center, an airport observation deck and an aviation research and education base.

Efforts will be made to promote cross-border e-commerce and push to create a "beautiful tourist airport," the official said.

Recently, the daily passenger throughput of Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport exceeded 10,000 people for the consecutive week, topping the level for the same period in 2019. After two and a half years, when the project is completed and starts operating, the airport's passenger throughput will double again.

A design drawing of the new T2 terminal of Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport. [Photo/WeChat ID: tzfabu]