HARBIN, June 8 (Xinhua) -- An aircraft recycling and rebuilding base was put into operation on Friday in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

The base will repair, disassemble and reassemble aircraft, as well as manage and sell aircraft materials.

Covering 300,000 square meters, the base can handle 20 aircraft each year.

The base was paid for by Aircraft Recycling International (ARI), headquartered in Hong Kong.

Previously, recycling of China's aircraft was mainly conducted by U.S. and European companies and was costly and time-consuming, said Li Yuze, the general manager of Zhonglong Aircraft Disassembly Base Company, which operates the base.