A China Eastern Airlines (MU) A330 aircraft, registration B-6099, took off from Hefei Xinqiao International Airport at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 25, which is the first test flight at the new airport before it is put into operation.

The A330 aircraft is also the first civil airplane landing at the new airport after the completion of its construction. The test flight has proved to be a great success, with the test run of the facilities at the airport.

Xinqiao Airport is located near the town of Gaoliu in Feixi County, 31.8 km from the city center. Construction of the airport began in December 2008 with a total investment of 3.728 billion yuan. It will replace Hefei Luogang International Airport as Hefei's main airport after being put into operation in May this year.

The first phase of construction includes one runway which is 3,400 meters long and 45 meters wide (class 4E), and a 108,500 square-meter terminal building. It is expected to handle an annual volume of 11 million passengers and 150,000 tons of cargo by 2020.