The government of China’s Jilin Province plans to open a new airport near Mount Baekdu in May next year, about three months ahead of schedule.

The provincial government made the announcement during a recent gathering of Communist Party representatives, saying that test flights at the airport will begin late this year.

The head of a company taking part in the airport's construction said that a two-point-seven-kilometer-long runway has been completed, adding that facilities will be opened ahead of schedule at the request of the Jilin provincial government.

He noted that the provincial government was planning to build a railway linking Beijing and the northern part of a crater lake atop Mount Baekdu.

Once completed, the railway will make possible day trips from the Chinese capital to the mountain straddling its border with North Korea.