Mohe Airport to operate in 2008

The new airport in Mohe in Helongjiang province will be finished by next June, according to the chief of the Northeast Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Half of the airport project is finished. Mohe is known as China’s Arctic Village because of freezing temperatures during the winter. Vice Director Che Jinjun of the NRA said during the 11th Five-Year Plan, six new airports in the northeast region will be constructed by 2010. These are in Mohe, Baishan, Jixi, Yichun, Daqing and Tonghua. All these airports are located in the tourism region or mineral source areas. Construction of the Baishan Airport has also begun. General Manager Jiang Menghong of the Mohe Airport Construction Co. said the Mohe Airport is the first airport established in a frozen soil area in China. The geological conditions in the area have made the construction of the airport complex. Before the inauguration of the project, several symposiums were held to discuss how to construct the airport on frozen soil. An expert who was involved in the Qinghai-Tibet railway construction was also invited to give his advice. The airport was designed to withstand environmental factors such as frozen soil, rain and snow, and weather. Mohe Airport’s flight area, terminal building and service facilities will be finished by next winter. The airport will operate next year.