The Rizhao Shanzihe Airport. [Photo/Rizhao airport official website]

Thanks to its clear development plan, the Rizhao Shanzihe Airport has become the busiest general aviation airport in East China within just a few years. Despite only operating for four years, it has already handled over a million passengers, surpassing the capacity planned for 2025. Moreover, it ranks among the top airports in the country for cargo throughput among airports of similar size.

From January to September this year, the airport accommodated a total of 690,000 passengers, with cargo throughput reaching 1,067.2 metric tons. A total of 81,000 general aviation flights took off from and landed at the airport, accumulating a flight time of 19,000 hours.

The airport is also seizing the opportunity from the development of the "one-hour air transportation circle" in Shandong province, and it has launched boutique commuter flights connecting Shandong cities this year.

Since it's opened in 2015, the Rizhao airport has opened 35 navigation points in 31 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and its flight network covers key cities in central and southern China, Southwest, East China and Northeast China.

To further promote the comprehensive development of the general aviation industry, Rizhao has incorporated aviation into the city's key industrial chain and established a development strategy of integrating regional transport, general aviation, and the aviation industry.

The city is the first in the country to introduce the "1+N" general aviation development model.

The development of the airport economic development zone is being carried out to cultivate a modern industrial system mainly composed of the aviation, high-end equipment manufacturing, and modern logistics industries.

By establishing an aviation industry research institute, new businesses involved in aviation maintenance, aviation training, aviation tourism, and aviation logistics are being developed to create distinctive industrial clusters, opening up new pathways for the development of the aviation industry.

Meanwhile, to further support the development of the aviation industry, Rizhao has introduced 21 policies covering six areas, including aviation maintenance, aviation manufacturing, flight training, aviation research, aviation education and aviation new materials. These measures aim to create a new pattern of integrated development in multiple industries.