Tianfu Airport, an international airport under construction in the central Chinese province of Sichuan, has completed its first test flights. Major Chinese airlines Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Lucky Air, Chengdu Airlines and Sichuan Airlines all brought their signature aircraft to test out at the new airport. Air China flew its Boeing 747-8, China Eastern its Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) and China Southern its Airbus A380. Note that these airlines do not only operate one example of each aircraft type. Tianfu Airport is expected to be completed by the 30th of June, making Chengdu the 3rd city in China to have 2 airports, after Beijing and Shanghai. China Eastern Airlines will transfer its Chengdu base from Chengdu’s current airport, Shangliu, to Tianfu. The 2nd test flight will occur in March this year. Air China has invested $941 million into this airport, which is expected to sustain 40 million passengers by 2025. The airport will mainly be used for international flights and will permit travellers from Europe and the Middle East to access central China. Currently, China is in the process of constructing 130 new airports. 27th of January 2021.
Aeronews24 