Baotou Airport handles increasing passenger throughput

In the year to Nov 10, Baotou Airport handled an estimated 2 million or so passengers – reaching new peaks in visitor levels, according to statistics recently released by the airport.

Airport officials said the annual throughput for 2019 is expected to top 2.3 million passengers.

Since the beginning of the winter season, Baotou Airport has increased flights linked to cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Chengdu in Sichuan province and Zhengzhou in Henan province.

The Baotou-Sanya and Baotou-Zhuhai direct routes are scheduled to reopen at the end of 2019.

Founded in 1934, Baotou Airport was originally called Baotou Erliban Airport. At the time the airport only had the capacity for four aircraft, with a maximum runway speed limit of 165 kilometers per hour.

The airport was renamed Baotou Airport on March 20, 2018.

It has undergone several expansions and upgrades over the years. In 2006, the flight zone was upgraded from category 4C to 4D, and the runway was extended to 2,800 meters, allowing it to handle aircraft such as Boeing 737s and Boeing 767s.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) period, with the rapid development of the civil aviation industry, passenger throughput increased from 378,000 in 2005 to 1,332,100 in 2010, an average annual increase of 19.1 percent. The number of passengers exceeded 1 million for the first time in 2009.

The airport currently offers flights to 23 destinations operated by 13 airlines, linking it with 26 cities in China and abroad. It is currently the 50th busiest airport among China’s 190 civil airports.

Officials said that next, Baotou Airport will continue to improve its expand its flight networks and enhance the city's accessibility.

They added that while facilitating Baotou city’s trade and culture exchanges with other cities and regions, it will better meet the travel needs of the majority of passengers.