Authorities in China plan to replace all fossil fuel-powered vehicles at civil airports with electric ones. Six pilot airports have been chosen to carry out the initiative, including Xiamen's Gaoqi international airport.

The first electrically powered shuttle buses to operate at the airport will service XiamenAir's Boeing 787 Dreamliner crew.

XiamenAir received the new energy buses from King Long Motor Group and signed a cooperative agreement with the local auto maker on Dec 10 to further its research into new energy vehicles.

Gaoqi Airport is located to the northeast of Xiamen Island. It serves as a major regional air hub linking Southeast Asia to China.

China's civil aviation authority launched the new energy campaign on airfield shuttle buses in March.

The five other airports chosen to pilot the initiative are Capital International Airport in Beijing; Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Sichuan province; Changshui International Airport in Kunming, Yunnan province; Huanghua Airport in Changsha, Hunan province; and Taiping International Airport in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.

Edited by Jacob Hooson