Xu Bo, director of the Civil Aviation Administration’s Tibet Branch, said construction of the Peace Airport in Xigaze prefecture began in April last year and would be completed in September, making its opening in October feasible. It represents an investment of $71.7 million and will be able to handle 230,000 passengers and 1,150 tons of cargo and allow 2,580 take-offs and landings annually by 2020.
The project will boost investment and tourism in Xigaze, the second largest city in Tibet. Xigaze is home to a group of ancient temples and the world’s highest peak, Mount Qomolangma, in Dingri county.
iStock Analyst reports this will be the fifth civil airport in Tibet, after those in Lhasa, Qamdo, Nyingchi and Ngari. After that Tibet plans to build the world’s highest airport at an altitude of 4,436 meters in Nagqu Prefecture.