SHENZHEN -- China Southern Airlines has started building its new base in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, with a total investment of 2.4 billion yuan ($341 million).
The ceremony marking the start of the construction took place Friday.
With a total floor area of 338,000 square meters, the base will have facilities for flight operation, aircraft maintenance, and cargo transportation and logistics, including an international cargo terminal, workshops for flight and maintenance technological innovations, and a laboratory for passenger cabin emergency response, according to the airline.
The first stage of the project, a 210,000-square-meter floor area with an estimated investment of 1.6 billion yuan, is expected to complete by mid-2028.
Last year, the market share of China Southern Airlines reached 33.1 percent in Shenzhen. At present, the company has opened or resumed international routes between Shenzhen and cities like Dubai, Hanoi and Jakarta, and plans to resume Shenzhen-Sydney and Shenzhen-Moscow flights in June.
