Breathable air is one of the main selling points of a northern Chinese province’s effort to develop the “World Aviation City of Ordos” in Inner Mongolia. The local government is proposing an $8 billion aviation-oriented community that will include “the world’s largest GA base” with an FBO that has parking for up to 1,000 aircraft. So far, the plan is largely conceptual (the former airport terminal is being converted into an FBO) but Ordos official Wang Jian told an NBAA news conference that the three-square-mile development will become the most important GA facility in the area. The development is being backed by the China Aviation Investment Group (CAG) and will feature nine separate modules, including business, research, maintenance and education facilities, along with aviation-oriented tourism facilities.
Ordos is hyping its clean environment and natural attractions as a major lure to offshore investors. The city is about 350 miles west of Beijing, far enough that the choking pollution of the capital city doesn’t spread there. The promoters say the climate is pleasant, the city is modern and has good infrastructure and is hungry for investment.
