PUDONG will develop its airport area and the manufacturing base for China’s home-developed plane — the C919 — into an “aviation city” in east Shanghai by 2020, officials said yesterday.

The “aviation city,” aimed at being on a par with Atlanta and Seattle, will include the Pudong airport traffic hub, aircraft design and production centers as well as other aviation-related industries.

Construction will start initially on Shanghai East Station near the airport, a traffic hub incorporating Metro and high-speed rail train lines for the aviation city.

The station will include 22 rail lines and 10 platforms, and provide a connection line between Shanghai’s two airports.

The towns near the airport will develop aviation-related industries for building the aviation city, said Wang Chao, Party secretary of Zhuqiao Town in Pudong.

Zhuqiao would mainly develop the aircraft manufacturing and aviation logistic industries, Wang said. The assembly line for China’s first domestically developed C919 single-aisle passenger aircraft has been based in the town.

Chuansha Town will offer business facilities and Huinan Town will focus on aviation training.