Dunhuang to Build International Airport

October 20, 2006

Source: The Buddhist Channel

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=46,3314,0,0,1,0

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

The new airport will first open to international charter flights to and from Hong Kong, Osaka and Seoul, said Feng Shiping, head of Dunhuang's Commerce Bureau.

About 370 charter flights will fly these three routes in the peak travel seasons between late April and mid October each year. He said, "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, according to the local tourism administration.