Society

Yichun works to boost airport safety after  crash

By Gao Qihui (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-10-13 14:58

BEIJING – Yichun, a city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, will enhance the safety of its airport after a jet crashed near the runway of the city's Lindu airport in August, killing 42 people, according to Mayor Wang Aiwen.

"We are preparing to install an instrument landing system at our airport," Wang said on Tuesday during a news conference in Beijing.

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The system will greatly improve the navigation conditions at Lindu airport and will greatly increase the number of navigable days, said Wang.

In the wake of the jet crash, the number of tourism groups to Yichun witnessed a drop, according to Lian Zhengying, general manager of Yichun Happy Holiday Travel Service.

"Despite the influence of the jet crash, more than 4 million tourists are expected to visit Yichun, surpassing the number of 3.8 million in 2009," Wang said.

The forest coverage rate in Yichun is 86 percent, providing abundant ecotourism resources. The value of the forests and everglades resources is as high as 1.26 trillion yuan ($188.77 billion), according to estimates by the Chinese Academy of Forestry.

The city has constructed 119 scenic spots to provide various tourism products.

"We want to promote the concept of ecological value and green GDP," Wang said. "We cannot value a city only by the economic growth and fiscal revenue."