Four new regional airports will be built in Yunnan during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15), increasing the total number of airports in the province to 16, according to the Yunan Airport Group.

The four planned airports will be located in Lugu Lake, Honghe, Cangyuan and Lancang. The Lugu Lake airport project has been formally approved and initiated by the State Council in May 2011. So far, most of the preliminary work of this project has been completed, such as the construction of infrastructure like roads, water supply, sewers, and electrical grids. The project will press ahead at an accelerated speed in 2012 and is expect to be completed in 2013. The Honghe airport project is still in the approving process, but the specific site for the airport has already been decided.

As for the progress of the planned Cangyuan Airport, the China International Engineering Consulting Corporation together with the Civil Aviation Administration of China and other related institutions and experts have paid a field research visit to Changyuan. They have unanimously approved the Feasibility Study of the Cangyuan Airport submitted previously by the Yunnan Airport Group. The Lancang airport project is now in its preparatory stage.

“Transportation used to be a major bottleneck in Yunnan’s economic development. Now, improving transport infrastructure is still a primary task for Yunan. These new airports will be a perfect complement to Yunnan’s air transportation network. They enhance transportation in outlying areas and help realize fuller utilization of tourism resources”, Chen Lijun, head of South Asian Institute of Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, commented.

Yunnan province now has 12 civil airports in Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Lincang, Xishuangbanna, Wenshan , Zhaotong , Baoshan , Tengchong , Pu'er, and Mangshi.