Tibet (Global Adventures): China has announced plans to build the world’s highest airport, in Tibet, starting 2011, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The 14,553-foot (4436 meters) Nagqu Dagring Airport is expected to surpass Bamda Airport, also in Tibet, by 335 feet (102 meters) as the world’s highest altitude airport, the report says.

The landing altitude is obviously well above the 6,000- to 8,000-foot cabin pressure altitudes set by many commercial airlines and business jets. Most of Tibet’s land sits some 16,000 feet above sea level. “The airport is planned for 2011 with a construction period of three years,” said Xu Jian, director of the Nagqu committee of development and reform. “It is expected to cost CNY 1.8 billion (US$ 263 million) and cover an area of 233 to 266 hectares.”

Xu Bo, director of the Tibetan branch of the China civil aviation administration, added: “The objective for the next stage of development is to open direct air routes from Tibet to south Asian countries.”

“With the airport, Nagqu, which is also on the Qinghai-Tibet railway line, is expected to become the centre of an economic hub in the plateau region,” said Tan Yongshou, commissioner of the prefecture.

Some 400,000 people live in the area. The airport, plus six new rail lines connecting to Beijing, China, is expected to drive the region’s economic growth.

The airport is part of a Chinese government development scheme to build 97 airports across China to facilitate national development by 2020 and put 80 percent of its population within a 90-minute drive of an airport.

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