The airfield, near China’s Zhongshan Station, will be able to handle fixed-wing aircraft. The construction of the planned airfield will be carried out by China’s 34th Antarctic expedition, which is set to arrive in Antarctica around the end of this year. The infrastructure project will go through an international environmental protection review. There are about 40 airstrips in service in Antarctica with the United States, Australia and Italy being the major operators. China will also build a 5th observation station near the Ross Sea in Antarctica, believed to be the least altered marine ecosystem on Earth.

CAS news release, April 12, 2015