Xi’ning Caojiabao Airport Formally Switched Over to the Newly Completed Runway

In October, flight HU7807 from Hainan Airlines Co., Ltd., which flies the Xi’ning - Xi’an – Shanghai Pudong route, smoothly took off from the newly built runway at Xi’ning Caojiabao Airport. This marks the formal operation of the new runway at Xi’ning Caojiabao Airport, and the official switch from the original runway to the new one is now in effect. Now, the original runway that has been in use for the last 20 years, is no longer to be used as a runway, but will instead be used as a taxiway. The new runway is 800 meters longer than the original one and its ruggedness is 50% more than the original one. The domestic advanced bi-directional instrument navigation system is used in the new runway. The flight area part of the Phase II project of the Xi’ning Caojiabao Airport was started in October, 2009. After more than one year of hard work and construction, the flight area part of the Phase II project passed the industrial inspection for acceptance organized by the Northwest Regional Administration of CAAC on October 14th, 2011. On October 20th, 2011, the operational materials of the new flight area went into affect officially and the new flight area can now be put into service. The flight area part of the Phase II project of the Xi’ning Caojiabao Airport was designed and built according to the 4D requirements and the new runway is 3,800 meters long and 45 meters wide. Both the primary landing direction and the sub-landing direction are precision approach runways that fall under Category I specifications and the precision approach lighting system of Category I specifications were installed on both sides. The B767-300ER aircraft and smaller aircraft can take off from and land on the new runway.