Kunming Airport brings Yunnan closer to the world

In 2013, China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, calling for more cooperation in connectivity and aiming at achieving win-win outcomes.

Five years on, steady progress and tremendous changes have taken place in various areas including the air transportation.

The Kunming Changshui International Airport is a primary airport serving Kunming, the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan province. Since it was put into operation in 2012, it has become a gateway from China to South and Southeast Asia and a hub for many airways such as China Eastern Airlines, Lucky Air, Ruili Airlines, Thai Airways and Lao airways.

Kunming Changshui International Airport. Photo provided by Yang Zheng

According to statistics, the airport handled 23 million passengers and 210 thousand tons of cargo in the first half of 2018, up by 5.2 percent and 9.6 percent respectively on a year-over-year basis. The airline companies operate 350 flight routes from the airport, 76 of which are international routes connecting destinations in South and Southeast Asia and other regions. 

As more flight routes are opened and the regional connectivity is strengthened, Yunnan has been brought closer to the world. Its organic produce such as matsutake, flowers, and vegetables are transported from the Kunming Changshui International Airport to more foreign markets. And more and more overseas tourists fly to Yunnan to enjoy its cultural and natural beauty.   

Editor: John Li