A plan is being studied for the building of a third general aviation airport in the city by 2010, a senior official of the regional aviation authority said Tuesday.

 

General aviation airports serve non-civil aviation, such as private planes and helicopters.

 

Shanghai should have five to six general aviation airports with 500 to 600 landing spots and 50 to 60 general aircrafts as an international metropolis, Guo Youhu, vice director of the East China branch of the General Administration of Civil Aviation, said when the branch approved the establishment of the city's first general aviation company.

 

The existing two general aviation airports – Gaodong Airport and Longhua Airport – can't fulfill the city's demands, Guo said.

 

Gaodong Airport is China's first helicopter base for sea rescue and is close to Pudong International Airport, and Longhua Airport is an emergency landing site for rescue work, police patrols, and fire-fighting operations to the southwest of the city.

 

(Shanghai Daily April 19, 2007)