Urumqi Diwopu International Airport

?rümqi Diwopu International Airport is located in Diwopu, a suburb north-west of ?rümqi, the capital of the in northwestern . The airport is 16 km away from downtown ?rümqi and is one of the five major airports of China. It is a focus city for China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

History

?rümqi Airport was opened to foreign passengers in 1973, and has been the emergency landing ground for airlines to Europe and west Asia.

Facilities

The airport covers an area of 4.84 million sq. metres. Its newly built runway is 3600 m in length. The airport can allow the landing of large aircraft such as the Boeing 747. The 110,000 sq. metre apron can accommodate over 30 aircraft.

Usage

In 2002, 1,673,400 passengers and 35,000 tons of goods passed through ?rümqi Airport.

Summer 2005 saw Diwopu get a boost when the airport started receiving major foreign airlines for the first time; of them Korean Air was the first to start service from seasonally in June; two months later, Pakistan International Airlines began operations from Islamabad flying year round scheduled. Both airlines used wide body Airbus aircraft. PIA's operation did not last long and was suspended in April 2006.

Airlines and destinations

Domestic

*Air China
*China Eastern Airlines
*China Southern Airlines
*Hainan Airlines
*Shandong Airlines
*Shanghai Airlines
*Shenzhen Airlines
*Sichuan Airlines
*Spring Airlines

International

*Air China
*Ariana Afghan Airlines
*Azerbaijan Airlines
*China Southern Airlines
*Dalavia
*Dragonair ''seasonal charter''
*Hainan Airlines
*Itek Air
*Kam Air
*Korean Air ''seasonal''
*S7 Airlines
*Somon Air
*Tajik Air
*Uzbekistan Airways