BEIJING: China’s Suzhou is set to welcome its first civil aviation airport by the end of next year, although it will likely provide limited connectivity gains to the manufacturing hub and its population of more than 10 million.
Announced on Wednesday (Feb 12) at a local transport-focused conference, the airport will be located in Changshu, about an hour’s drive north of Suzhou.
It is designated as an A1-level general airport, state news outlet Suzhou Daily reported. This refers to a public-use airport where aircraft with more than 10 seats can be used for commercial passenger flights, according to China’s aviation regulator.
Slated to open by the end of 2026, it will feature a runway 1,600m long and 45m wide, as well as typical supporting facilities like a terminal, control tower, hangars and refuelling facilities.
Local media have highlighted that the airport is unlikely to be a large-scale, commercial airport with daily passenger flights, pointing out how authorities have identified functions like aviation consumption, flight training and emergency rescue.
There are also plans for a drone test flight field, training base and dispatch centre to be set up within the airport, to promote Suzhou’s low-altitude economy – manned or unmanned aviation services at low elevations – a sector China has been developing as part of a wider high-tech push.
Additionally, Suzhou is already flanked by international airports in neighbouring cities such as Shanghai, Wuxi, Changzhou and Nantong. The one in Wuxi is a similar distance away from Suzhou as the planned airport.
The news has generated discussion on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, with many users joking that the new airport should be named “Suzhou Meiyou Airport”, referencing the city’s longstanding lack of an airport. “Meiyou” means none in Mandarin.
Others lamented that the airport was unlikely to provide meaningful benefits for travel, considering its planned functions.
Some also wondered why Suzhou has long been without its own civilian airport. The city is a key economic centre in China, known for its manufacturing prowess.
Suzhou’s gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded 2.6 trillion yuan (US$355 billion) in 2024, a 6 per cent year-on-year increase, according to official data.
A main driver of Suzhou’s economic engines is Suzhou Industrial Park, the flagship bilateral venture between Singapore and China.
Launched in 1994, it is the first of three government-to-government projects between both sides, the other two being Tianjin Eco-city and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative. The project marked its 30th anniversary last year.
Suzhou Industrial Park is one of China’s top industrial zones. It recorded a regional GDP of 368.6 billion yuan in 2023, a 5.9 per cent growth year-on-year. That figure was about 15 per cent of Suzhou city’s GDP that year.
