URUMQI: A new terminal at Urumqi Tianshan International Airport in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began trial operations on Thursday, marking a major step in expanding regional air capacity.
The terminal is a key part of the airport’s expansion project that started in 2019. With the upgrade, the annual passenger and cargo handling capacity has more than tripled for the airport, formerly known as Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, an air hub for China’s westward opening up, according to Xinjiang Airport Group Co., Ltd.
With the completion of the expansion project, the airport now features three runways, up from one, and can accommodate up to 48 million passengers and 550,000 tonnes of cargo annually. It is now capable of supporting nearly 367,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings per year.
With the new terminal, the Urumqi airport will deliver higher-quality, more efficient air transport services and play a greater role in expanding high-level opening up and boosting regional economic and social development, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
First established in 1939, the airport has undergone four major expansions, with the latest upgrade completed this year.
According to the CAAC, the central government has allocated over 12 billion yuan (approximately 1.66 billion U.S. dollars) from the civil aviation development fund to support the airport’s long-term growth. An additional 3 billion yuan from the central budget has also been invested to improve the airport.
With its expanded capacity and enhanced connectivity, the airport evolves from a regional gateway into a bridge linking China with central and western Asia.
Yang Fuqiang, director of the Institute of Sociology at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, said that the expansion is not just a simple infrastructure upgrade. Instead, it will bring more opportunities and possibilities for Xinjiang’s regional economic development, and for international cooperation. –Agencies
