Changbai Mountain Airport will begin operation before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to facilitate tourists to the nature reserve in northeast China, said sources with the General Administration of Civil Aviation.

The airport, first of its kind at forest and located in Fusong County of Jinlin Province, is expected to handle 540,000 passengers annually by 2015.

The airport will operate direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenyang, Qingdao and Nanjing.

Construction of the airport started in July 2006, with an investment of 550 million yuan (US$73.3 million).

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2007)