China plans to start building a regional airport near Mount Jiuhua, one of the country's four most renowned Buddhist mountains, this year.

The preparation office of the airport said Saturday the airport is scheduled to be built in two and a half years with an investment of 734 million yuan (107.6 million U.S. dollars).

The plan was approved by the east China bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration earlier this week, the office said.

The airport will be in Meilong Township, Chizhou City in Anhui Province, 20 km from Mount Jiuhua.

It would cover 200 hectares and have a runway 2,000 by 45 meters, allowing the use of Boeing 737 and similar planes. The annual passenger flow is expected to hit half a million.