URUMQI, May 18 (Xinhua) -- A new airport began test flights Wednesday on the Pamir Plateau, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
An Airbus A319-115 aircraft landed at the Taxkorgan Airport at around 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
The airport, located over 3,250 meters above sea level in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, is the first super-high plateau airport in Xinjiang.
Super-high plateau airport is defined as an airport sitting at no less than 2,438 meters above sea level.
Equipped with a 3,800-meter runway, the airport is designed to handle an annual throughput of 160,000 passengers and 400 tonnes of cargo and mail.
Construction at the airport began around two years ago.
It is scheduled to go into operation in July this year.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
