An air conditioning apparatus comprising: a refrigerant circuit that is configured as a result of an outdoor unit, having an outdoor heat exchanger, and plural indoor units (5a, 5b), having indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b), being interconnected via a liquid refrigerant communication pipe and a gas refrigerant communication pipe, wherein the refrigerant circuit is operable in a cooling cycle state, which causes the outdoor heat exchanger to function as a radiator of a refrigerant and causes the indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) to function as evaporators of the refrigerant, is operable in a heating cycle state, which causes the outdoor heat exchanger to function as an evaporator of the refrigerant and causes the indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) to function as radiators of the refrigerant, and is configured to switch between the cooling cycle state ant the heating cycle state, wherein the outdoor unit includes a switching mechanism configured to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant fluid in the refrigerant circuit to switch the refrigerant circuit to the cooling cycle state and to the heating cycle state; and a control component configured to control devices configuring the outdoor unit and the plural indoor units, characterized in that the control component is configured to: determine whether the total volume of the plural indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) is smaller than the volume of the outdoor heat exchanger; - responsive to the total volume of the plural indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) being smaller than a volume of the outdoor heat exchanger, start a heating refrigerant charging operation with the refrigerant circuit switched to the heating cycle state; - responsive to a predetermined heating refrigerant charging completion condition being met, thereafter switch the refrigerant circuit from the heating cycle state to the cooling cycle state and start a cooling refrigerant charging operation; - perform the cooling refrigerant charging operation until a refrigerant charging completion condition where the refrigerant circuit is charged with a prescribed quantity of the refrigerant is met. a refrigerant circuit that is configured as a result of an outdoor unit, having an outdoor heat exchanger, and plural indoor units (5a, 5b), having indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b), being interconnected via a liquid refrigerant communication pipe and a gas refrigerant communication pipe, wherein the refrigerant circuit is operable in a cooling cycle state, which causes the outdoor heat exchanger to function as a radiator of a refrigerant and causes the indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) to function as evaporators of the refrigerant, is operable in a heating cycle state, which causes the outdoor heat exchanger to function as an evaporator of the refrigerant and causes the indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) to function as radiators of the refrigerant, and is configured to switch between the cooling cycle state ant the heating cycle state, wherein the outdoor unit includes a switching mechanism configured to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant fluid in the refrigerant circuit to switch the refrigerant circuit to the cooling cycle state and to the heating cycle state; and a control component configured to control devices configuring the outdoor unit and the plural indoor units, characterized in that the control component is configured to: determine whether the total volume of the plural indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) is smaller than the volume of the outdoor heat exchanger; - responsive to the total volume of the plural indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) being smaller than a volume of the outdoor heat exchanger, start a heating refrigerant charging operation with the refrigerant circuit switched to the heating cycle state; - responsive to a predetermined heating refrigerant charging completion condition being met, thereafter switch the refrigerant circuit from the heating cycle state to the cooling cycle state and start a cooling refrigerant charging operation; - perform the cooling refrigerant charging operation until a refrigerant charging completion condition where the refrigerant circuit is charged with a prescribed quantity of the refrigerant is met. - responsive to the total volume of the plural indoor heat exchangers (52a, 52b) being smaller than a volume of the outdoor heat exchanger, start a heating refrigerant charging operation with the refrigerant circuit switched to the heating cycle state; - responsive to a predetermined heating refrigerant charging completion condition being met, thereafter switch the refrigerant circuit from the heating cycle state to the cooling cycle state and start a cooling refrigerant charging operation; - perform the cooling refrigerant charging operation until a refrigerant charging completion condition where the refrigerant circuit is charged with a prescribed quantity of the refrigerant is met.