State-owned ground handling company Yitong Business Aviation Service, of Guangdong Airport Authority, will begin work on the new construction in May, the cost of which is estimated at a sizeable US$62m (RMB426m). The first phase of construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
Yitong, established just two years ago, currently provides ground handling services at airports in Huizhou, Jieyang and Meizhou, but has ambitious expansion plans to become the leading aircraft service provider in China.
Designs for the new complex comprise a 5,000 square metre contemporary passenger terminal, complete with on-site customs, immigration and quarantine, slot and landing permit services, aircraft cleaning, refuelling, VIP lounges and shuttle services inside and outside the airport. In addition, the project includes a 20,000 square metre hangar with the capacity to handle all manner of aircraft. In the second phase of construction, another hangar will be added for maintenance purposes, making for a total footprint of 420,000 square metres.
This expansive structure at Guangzhou will be a first for the airport, which has never before housed an FBO. Yitong’s Manager of Strategy and Marketing Department, Kenneth Chan, commented on the development, saying that the decision was made in acknowledgment of future industry expansion in the region, as Guangzhou is the third busiest airport in China.
