On January 31, the Urumchi-Xining-Lhasa air route was opened. The route will have one flight every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and it is run by Sichun Airlines. Henceforth, Urumchi is navigable with all provincial capital cities in China.

This route is opened with the joint efforts of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet and the National Civil Aviation Administration. It is of great significance to building the air corridor of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and promoting the connectivity of the three provinces (autonomous regions).

Led by the national "One Belt and One Road" initiative, Xinjiang Airport Group has more cooperation with major airlines. Last year, it handled over 30 million passengers and 50 new air routes were added. At present, the total number of its air routes reaches 264. The airline network is more accessible and the aviation market is more prosperous.

On the same day, the Urumchi base of Sichun Airlines was also officially launched. At present, Sichun Airlines has more than 130 airbus planes and its  route network covers the whole country as well as continents across the world. In the near future, the Urumchi-Xining-the North Sea air route and the Chengdu-Urumchi-Aletay air route are planned to be opened.