Yunnan's newest airport opens in Tengchong
Yunnan's newest airport opened Monday in Tengchong County, near the China-Myanmar border.
Tengchong Hump Airport (腾冲驼峰机场) is named after the famed route over the Himalayas flown by the American Volunteer Group (aka the Flying Tigers) and commercial airliner China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) during World War II.
Today Tengchong is a travel destination best known for its natural hot springs and the rustic old town of Heshun (和顺). The area was also a major trade hub with Burma (Myanmar) during the Ming Dynasty.
The new airport in Tengchong County, located in Tuofeng Village, currently features three daily flights connecting it with Kunming. Yunnan Airport Group spokesperson Zou Huiyu said it will also add flights connecting Tengchong with Lijiang and Jinghong.
Travel time from Kunming to Tengchong was once a 10-hour bus ride, now it is only a 50-minute flight away. Last year Tengchong received 2.88 million tourists – a number that is expected to grow this year with the opening of the new airport. Tengchong Hump Airport is expected to handle nearly 300,000 passengers this year.
Image: ynxxb.com
This article was posted by Chris and published February 17, 2009
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