Xinjiang issues privilege policies

A number of privilege policies recently issued by Xinjiang Airport Group proved favorable to both domestic and international flight carriers landing and taking off from Urumqi International Airport. The policies were intended to draw domestic and foreign airlines to open new international air routes and encourage existing ones to expand their services at Urumqi International Airport. These privilege policies include: free landing and takeoff fee for the duration of the first half of the year and a 50 percent discount on the landing and takeoff fee in the second half of the first year. Qualified airlines include all domestic and international airlines with open routes to Central Asia whose flight times are less than five hours. The normal fee will then apply in the succeeding years. Furthermore, for all domestic and international airlines with newly opened routes to Europe, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asian countries and whose flight time exceeds five hours, the charges for the entire first year will be totally waived and a 50-percent privilege discount will be applied in the second year. The standard fee will apply in the third and successive years. In addition, Urumqi International Airport will give a 20-percent privilege discount on the landing and takeoff fee to any of its existing airlines that open additional flight routes. Xinjiang is also likely to award several privileges to freight flights to persuade new airlines to boost operation at the Urumqi airport. By the end of 2005, a total of 46 international and regional air routes had opened in Xinjiang.