Preparations have started for construction of an international aero-engineering base in Zhuhai City of south China's Guangdong Province. According to local sources, the project will cost 500 million U. S. dollars which will be shouldered together by Zhuhai Airport Conglomerate and a Hong Kong company. The mainland partner takes 30 percent of the stake by mortgaging land use right and the Hong Kong investor will bear the remaining 70 percent.

The project will cover an area of 800,000 sq m and be built near Zhuhai's existing airport which has been making economic losses since its operation as a result of inadequate passengers. The new project will be constructed in stages and will be finished in three to five years. On completion, it will be able to offer services ranging from repairs of whole planes, repairs of plane engines, manufacturing of components for planes, assembly and manufacture of small planes, supply, transportation and storage of logistic materials for inflights, to flight training. Industry experts believe that completion of the project will help improve economic benefits of Zhuhai, which is one of China's four earliest special economic zones and the nearest mainland city to Macao.