Dunhuang in northwest China's Gansu Province is planning to build an international airport because the number of overseas tourists flocking in to seethe ancient Buddhist caves paintings is growing by 30 percent annually.

The new airport will first open to international charter flights to and from Hong Kong.

About 370 charter flights will fly these three routes in the peak travel seasons between late April and mid October each year. China Southern Airlines, Air China and Hainan Airlines will be operating these flights.

Dunhuang received 79,000 international tourist arrivals last year. The figure totaled 71,000 in the first nine months of this year.

Hainan Airlines, based in the southernmost island province of Hainan, has vowed to assist the airport expansion project and further tap Dunhuang's tourism market, particularly in the slack seasons of winter and early spring.

The five-million-yuan (625,000 U.S. dollars) project has been endorsed by the Gansu Provincial government and the city is waiting for the green light from Beijing before construction begins.

Dunhuang airport was opened in 1982. After being expanded in 2002, it can handle 300,000 passengers and 3,400 tons of cargo each year.
 

Source:佚名