BEIJING, 12 April (BelTA - People's Daily) - Progress continues on China's first airfield in Antarctica, with site selection and a survey completed and plans set for construction to begin as early as year's end, according to a senior scientist.
The airfield, near China's Zhongshan Station, will be able to handle fixed-wing aircraft. Specialists from the nation's 33rd Antarctic expedition recently surveyed a 3-square-kilometer area selected for the airfield, said Sun Bo, deputy director of the Polar Research Institute of China under the State Oceanic Administration, acording to Chinese media.
"At first the airfield will have only one runway, so the construction will be easy－we will only need to flatten the selected area and maintain it. Fixed-wing aircraft will need to be equipped with a pair of runners so they can land," he told China Daily.
"Next, we plan to build some runways in the same area. They will be flatter than the first runway and will be capable of accommodating large fixed-wing planes that are not equipped with runners," Sun said.
The airfield will greatly facilitate the nation's Antarctic explorations, Sun said.
There are about 40 airstrips in service in Antarctica with the United States, Australia and Italy being the major operators.
