China opens new terminal at Lhasa Airport in Tibet

China made its newly constructed terminal operational at Lhasa airport in Tibet.

Key Facts

• This new terminal is the biggest terminal in Tibet opened to further expand the transport infrastructure in strategic Himalayan region.
• It will help Tibet to emerge as a global logistics hub for South Asia.
• New terminal would give a significant boost to passenger and cargo transport.
• Airport expansion project was completed at the cost of USD 603 million.
• It will help Tibet in becoming a global logistics hub for South Asia.

Handling Capacity of airport

With the opening of new terminal, Lhasa airport is expected to meet an annual handling capacity of nine million passengers. It would also handle about 80,000 metric tonnes of cargo. In all, handling at Lhasa airport accounts for 75 per cent of the passenger flow of all airports in Tibet.

Airports in Tibet

Tibet has five airports- at Nyingchi, Shigatse and Ngari. All these airports are located close to Indian and Nepal borders.

About Lhasa

Lhasa is the urban center of prefecture-level Lhasa City. It is the administrative capital of Tibet. Inner urban area of Lhasa City is equivalent to administrative borders of Chengguan District, which is part of prefectural Lhasa City. Lhasa is called as the second most populous urban area on Tibetan Plateau after Xining. It is located at an altitude of 3,656 metres. Lhasa is the highest cities across the world. Lhasa has been the religious and administrative capital of Tibet since mid-17th century. It has several culturally significant Tibetan Buddhist sites like Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Palaces.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2021