Located near Longjiabao Town, 28 kilometers northeast of Changchun, the 1.6 billion yuan (US$190 million) airport covers an area of more than 280 hectares and has a runway measuring 2,800 meters in length and 45 meters in width.

According to the plan, by 2013, the airport will be able to handle 3.2 million passengers and 52,000 tons of cargo a year.

Known as an "automobile city", Changchun plays a national role in the manufacture of automobiles, passenger trains and tractors.

The city has achieved rapid growth in the number of passengers traveling by air in recent years. Statistics show that the number of air passengers increased by 19.7 percent annually between 1996-2000. The military-civilian airport based in the city handled more than one million passengers in 2001.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2003)