Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport

Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport 塔什库尔干红其拉甫机场
IATA: HQL ICAO: ZWTK
Summary
Airport type	Public / military
Serves	Tashkurgan
Location	Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Opened	23 December 2022; 2 years ago (2022-12-23)
Elevation AMSL	3,200 m / 10,499 ft
Coordinates	37.66271°N 75.29227°E / 37.66271; 75.29227
Map
HQL Location of airport in Xinjiang
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 15/33 3,800 12,467

Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport
Simplified Chinese	塔什库尔干红其拉甫机场
Traditional Chinese	塔什庫爾幹紅其拉甫機場
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tǎshíkù'ěrgàn Hóngqílāfǔ Jīchǎng

Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport is an airport in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It opened on 23 December 2022.^[1] At an elevation of 3,200 m, it is Xinjiang's first high plateau airport.^[2][3]

Construction started on 26 April 2020 with an expected investment of CN¥1.63 billion or US$251 million.^[2] The airport was designed to handle 400 tons and 160,000 passengers annually.^[4][5] Test flights were started at the airport in May 2022.^[6]

The airport is seen to be part of a larger effort to develop the region commercially and to support the land route, a part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, and the larger Belt and Road Initiative.^[7][8][5] It is also seen as a larger part of China's border infrastructure improvement and its 14th Five Year Plan.^[9][10]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Chengdu Airlines	Kashgar[11]
China Southern Airlines	Kashgar,[12] Ürümqi

Notes

References

1. Hua, Xia (23 December 2022). "Xinjiang opens first high plateau airport". Xinhua. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
2. Jing, Zhao, ed. (27 April 2020). "Xinjiang's first high plateau airport-Tashkurgan Airport starts construction". Seetao. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
3. 张涵 (4 June 2020). "In pics: construction site of Taxkorgan Airport in Xinjiang". www.xinhuanet.com. Xinhua. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
4. "Tashkurgan Airport, New Airport Profile". centreforaviation.com. Informa. CAPA Centre For Aviation. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
5. Chonkar, Kunal (12 May 2020). "China, Pakistan discuss mutually strategic Tashkurgan airport". News21.com. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
6. Bikhchandani, Raghav (20 May 2022). "China commences test flights at 1st 'super-high plateau airport' in Xinjiang region". ThePrint. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
7. Phillips, Tom (12 May 2017). "World's biggest building project aims to make China great again". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
8. Krishnan, Ananth (20 April 2015). "China's airport plan on Pamir plateau near PoK worries India". India Today. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
9. Balakrishnan, Paran (19 June 2021). "Massive Chinese ramp-up of aviation facilities in border regions. Should India be worried?". Telegraph India. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
10. "China to make occupied Tibet a military hub to dominate the Himalayas". Tibetan Review. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
11. "喀什→塔县！国产商用飞机开通首条高高原航线". Retrieved 5 October 2024.
12. "乌鲁木齐出发新航线！6小时行程缩短到1小时！". Retrieved 11 February 2024.