Construction Plan for Shanghai Pudong Airport Free Trade Zone submitted to the State Council

Headed by the Shanghai Development & Reform Committee, the construction plan for the airport free trade zone within Shanghai Pudong International Airport has been reported to the State Council and is waiting for the examination and approval. Once built, it will link up the Yangshan Harbor Free Trade Zone and Waigaoqiao General Free Trade Zone and activate the triangle coordination effects which will be a strategically meaningful milestone to the economic development of Shanghai. According to the statistics of cargo volume from major airports in Asia of 2008, the performance of Shanghai Pudong International Airport was 2.6 million tons and ranked No. 2, next only to Hong Kong International Airport. There are over 70 Chinese and foreign airlines providing cargo transport service at Pudong airport with close to 600 all-freighter flights landing and taking off every week. Cargo and mail turnover of Shanghai is estimated to reach 6 million tons by the year 2015. Currently only a Tianzhu Airport Free Trade Zone with the size of 5.944 square kilometers is being set up in Beijing while plans to establish the Baiyun Airport Free Trade Zone has been reported by Guangzhou to the State Council for examination and approval.