Planner defends new island airport being built off Dalian

A senior executive involved with a project to build a new airport on an artificial island has defended the plan after residents and netizens questioned its legality and logic.

Various feasibility studies have been completed for the ongoing construction work, and environmental protection was taken into account, Bai Guangyuan, deputy head of Dalian New Airport Construction Headquarters, told China Daily in an interview.

Annual passenger capacity at Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, the largest international airport in Northeast China, reached 14.08 million in 2013. With only one runway, the airport is operating at full capacity.