Funing Airport Project

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In August 2003, Funing airport, the first China’s non-state-run international airport, began its commercial operations in Suifenghe city, Heilongjiang province. The airport which was designed and developed by private investors at the own risk, covered an area of 130,000 square meters and served up to four take-offs and landings at the same time. Funing airport primarily provided air cargo services between the Pacific territories of Russia and China. Cargo was primary fresh fruit and vegetables from China and fish from Russia. The cargo volumes were expected to reach 40,000 tons a year. The airport was owned by Suifenhe Blue Sky Ariport, whose main owners were private investor Wang Xuewen (60%) and a Beijing Sannegda scientific and trad group (40%), Beijing-based firm. The total cost of the airport was US$ 12.05 million (RMB 100 million). The project was financed mainly with investors own resources through the five year construction period. The airport project was part of a bigger project that included the creation of an airline company to provide the air transport service: Suifenhe Blue Sky Aviation Service Company. The project implementation took almost 10 years. The initial investors (Wang Xuewen and a Russian investor) obtained the air route between the Russian Pacific territories and Suifenghe city in China in 1993 from the Russian authorities and a year later from the Chinese ones. The request to build the airport was submitted to the Chinese authorities in September 1995. Construction began in 1998 and concluded in 2002. In 2003, the airport was approved to begin operations by the Chinese authorities. None None