HAIKOU, January 25. /TASS/. A major repair facility for airliners near Meilan International Airport on Hainan serviced the first passenger aircraft owned by a foreign carrier under a preferential tax system, reported the Hainan Daily.
According to the newspaper, thanks to the special customs zone regime, the Cambodian Lanmei Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft were provided with services without charging a number of government fees, including consumer tax. As the local authorities clarified, the customer was able to reduce the costs they have to bear when paying for the repair work by 10-15%.
"We had to resolve the problems associated with the pandemic: the repairs were carried out in compliance with all the rules of epidemiological control," said Dou Xin, head of the Lanmei Airlines aircraft maintenance project. According to him, before the works' start, the entire plane was thoroughly disinfected.
It is expected that the repair base, located on the territory of the new Jiangdong district, will permanently serve the airliners of the companies of the states that participate in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. Thus, Hainan will gradually turn into a leading regional repair center for passenger aircraft. Enterprises registered on the island will provide a full range of works.
In June 2018, the authorities announced the creation of a new Jiangdong district near Meilan Airport. This special area covers over 298 square kilometers, plays an important role in Hainan's free trade port project. The aviation industrial park located there is one of the key strategic objects. It is expected to help create more than 100,000 jobs.