China is building the world’s largest artificial island airport, solidifying a northeastern city’s position as a regional transportation hub.
Dalian Jinzhouwan International Airport will cover an island with an area of 20 km², according to the Liaoning provincial government website.
This would make it larger than Hong Kong International Airport, which is 12.48 km², and Kansai Airport near Osaka, Japan, which is 10.5 km², both of which are located on artificial islands.
“For the people of Dalian to say it is the greatest, that is exactly what it is,” Li Hanming, founder of an aviation consultancy, told the Chinese newspaper South China Morning Post.
The airport under construction will serve the port city of Dalian, which, due to its strategic location, maintains intense trade with Japan and South Korea.
With a population of more than 6 million, the city, located on a peninsula at the northern end of the Bohai Strait, has become a hub for oil refineries, shipping and logistics services, as well as coastal tourism.
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Jinzhouwan will be the first airport in mainland China to be built on an artificial offshore island and, when completely ready, it will have four runways and a 900,000 m² terminal, according to the provincial government.
