All China's airports, except those in Beijing and Tibet, are to be handed over to local government ownership and management by the end of this year, Xinhua reported an official of the General Administration of Civil Aviation as saying. Airports would be encouraged to draw on private capital to fund expansion but domestic airlines' stake would be limited to 25 per cent.
Hainan Meilan Airport handled 429,000 passengers in April, down 17 per cent yearon- year due to the impact of the Sars virus. The Haikou-based airport suspended all flights to Hong Kong, Macau and other southeast Asian destinations. However, cargo and mail shipments rose 2.9 per cent in April to 7,570 tonnes.