New Terminal at Urumqi Tianshan Airport Begins Trial Run

Marking a major step in expanding China’s regional air capacity, a new terminal at Urumqi Tianshan International Airport in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began trial operations on Thursday.

With its expanded capacity and enhanced connectivity, the airport evolves from a regional gateway into a bridge linking China with central and western Asia.

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, Xinjiang Airport Group said.

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 take-offs and landings per year.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said that 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.

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 $1.66 billion from the civil aviation development fund to support the airport’s long-term growth. An additional $410 million from the Central budget has also been invested to improve the airport.

The airport now operates 207 regular domestic passenger routes connecting China’s major cities, and 26 international routes to destinations in Central Asia, Western Asia and Europe. In 2024 alone, the airport launched passenger and cargo routes to 22 regions in 16 countries.

Spurt in Foreign Trade

According to Urumqi Customs, the city’s foreign trade totalled $1.8 billion in the first two months of this year registering a 21.2% y-o-y increase. Among the more notable imports were fresh cherries from Central Asia, which can now arrive in Urumqi within two hours, as well as camel milk, apparel and footwear.

For many, this transportation efficiency brought by the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the airport has been a game-changer.

He Mingxing, a scholar at Xinjiang University, said that the development of the Urumqi Tianshan International Airport has helped transform the city from a landlocked hinterland into a rising frontier of opening up.