Top 10 airports in China (2)

7.Kunming Wujiaba International Airport

Located in southeast Kunming, Yunnan Province, Kunming Wujiaba International Airport is only three kilometers away from the city center, the nearest to town among all civil airports in China. Since it was built in 1923, the airport has gone through a few renovations and has become one of the busiest international aviation hubs in the country and a gateway to China for many Southeast Asian countries.

Kunming airport's annual passenger traffic is also on the rise, increasing 6.6 percent from 18.94 million in 2009 to 20.19 million in 2010, making it the 7th busiest airport on the Chinese mainland. It is also the 7th busiest and 8th busiest airport in the country in terms of cargo traffic and volume, respectively.

Due to the fast expansion of the Kunming urban area and limited land availability, the local government and airport authority plan to move operations to a new airport, Kunming Changshui International Airport, which is currently under construction.

6.Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport

Originally built in 1938 with the name of Shuangguisi Airport, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is located in the southwest suburban area of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, 16 kilometers away from the city center. It is the largest aviation hub and distribution center in central and western China, covering an area of 933.33 hectares.

The airport currently serves 119 domestic routes and 16 direct international routes. Its annual passenger traffic increased by 14 percent from 22.64 million in 2009 to 25.81 million in 2010, ranking the 6th busiest on the Chinese mainland and 51st in the world.

5.Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport

Located on a coastal plain of the east bank of Pearl River Estuary, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport is 32 km away from Shenzhen city. Covering an area of 11 square kilometers, it is a modern international airport which also handles air, sea, and land cargo.

Since it was built in 1991, the airport has opened over 144 domestic and international routes, reaching over 100 cities in total. Annual passenger traffic increased by 9.1 percent from 24.49 million in 2009 to 26.71 million in 2010. Annual cargo throughput increased 33.6 percent to 808,800 tons in 2010. In March 2011, the airport received the title of the "Best Cargo Airport of the Year" by the world air cargo magazine "Air Cargo News".