STORY: Xinjiang aims to soar high as BRI aviation hub
DATELINE: July 10, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:34
LOCATION: URUMQI, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the forum
2. various of airports
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ALVIN LIU, Executive vice president of Boeing China
4. various of airports and construction sites
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): GAO YUANYANG, Director of General Aviation Industry Research Center of Beihang University

STORYLINE:

The Urumqi International Aviation Hub Construction Forum was held last week in the capital city of southwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Representatives from major global aviation companies, including the Boeing Company of the United States and Europe's Airbus, domestic and foreign civil aviation administrations, and airports, among others, gathered in Urumqi to exchange ideas on building the "Air Silk Road" and other collaboration fields.
   
According to Xinjiang Airport Group Co., Ltd., there are so far 25 civil transport airports in Xinjiang, topping China's provincial-level regions. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), it's estimated that the number of airports in use and under construction will reach 33.

Alvin Liu, executive vice president of Boeing China, said that Urumqi has great potential to become an important transportation hub and China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) opens a gate for cooperation.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ALVIN LIU, Executive vice president of Boeing China
"Boeing provides over 60 percent of available seats regarding passenger traffic volume at Urumqi's Diwopu International Airport. All of our current models, whether single-aisle or wide-body aircraft, whether passenger or freighter routes, will provide very strong support regarding the airport's regional position and its future routes."
   
As per data from Xinjiang Airport Group Co., Ltd., passenger flights have linked Urumqi with 23 international destinations, while five regular air cargo routes have connected the city with Central and West Asia.

In the first six months of this year, the Urumqi airport handled a throughput of more than 10 million passengers.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): GAO YUANYANG, Director of General Aviation Industry Research Center of Beihang University
"Due to its vast area with a sparse population, Xinjiang is particularly suitable for general aviation to solve traffic problems. Moreover, general aviation can be a low-cost and efficient mode of transportation in such a region. At the same time, we can develop logistics, including general aviation logistics with UAVs in the future, because Xinjiang is also a good application scenario."
 
Silk Road Civil Aviation Cooperation Alliance (SRCACA) was also launched during the forum. It aims to further deepen civil aviation cooperation for BRI participants, and will take aviation business as a link to promote cooperation among multiple parties, according to China Air Transport Association, which is the initiator of the alliance.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China.
(XHTV)