NANJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian ultralight plane maker Pipistrel held the ground-breaking ceremony of its new production center in east China's Jiangsu Province Wednesday.

With an investment of 5 billion yuan (around 800 million U.S. dollars), the project includes building a production line, airport, aviation training school, exhibition center and logistics center.

Located in an aviation industrial park in Jurong City, it is scheduled to complete in 2024.

Pipistrel's Ivo Boscarol, in charge of the project, said factory would produce 300 electric and hybrid aircraft a year.

"The city government will provide excellent services to ensure the project goes smoothly," said Pan Qun, mayor of the city.

The project was signed by Jurong and Pipistrel in December last year.

Pipistrel was established in 1989, as the first private aircraft producer in former Yugoslavia.

Four models of Pipistrel aircraft are recognized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.