Before we begin, think you need to Google Map and see for yourselves the region that falls under the jurisdiction of Luzhou, a prefecture-level city where terrain is predominately hilly; unless the enterprise decided to build its own facility there with its own runway, the only economical option is to latch onto the Luzhou Yunlong Airport that's still in construction, slated to be the new air hub for the area...can't find much about the new site, except that its runway is 2800m x 50m, rated for A320 and B737 jets, don't know if the runway and its surrounding aerial traffic conditions can handle something in the size of An-225 or An-124.
Next, the corporation...the only known registered location is in HK, with listed capital of 500 million HKD - that's 64-odd million USD for you. Now, unless productions and modules fabrications are outsourced to off-site facilities (including Antonov's own facilities in Ukraine) and only conduct final assembly in China (which still require quite an impressive hanger to house something in the size of An-225), they'll need to shell out cash - lots of it - to buy enough land to build their own production complex just next to the new airport...given one of those present at the signing ceremony is the representative of the airport industrial zone, so I think I got at least 50% right over there.
I do wonder at only state-level support cam they secure that much loan...also, there's no indication as to who and what are their shareholders. If, like, they've got AVIC as a stake-holding shareholder and have their man in the Board of Directors then it's another matter entirely. Of course, given AVIC haven't had their own giant transport in the pipeline, they can just as easily buy in major shares when the project pick up momentum...
At worst? It's not the first time the Chinese government got scammed before anyway...
Anyway if this news about the selling and producing of AN-225 is true, I will be spazzing. I love this big plane!
