China's airline traffic at Xi'an, Urumqi, Chengdu and Chongqing to be boosted by "Silk Road Plan"

China's "Go West" economic drive continues to deliver results as United Airlines becomes the latest international carrier to open service to China's west via a 787-8 service from San Francisco. Much growth is still to be unlocked from the growing economic prosperity of Chengdu and neighbouring Chongqing, but now Beijing is considering a new economic development plan that will boost the economy, and ultimately air services, of other regions.

The so-called "Silk Road" plan focuses on areas outside of China's eastern coast that has seen strong economic growth. Many of the regions under the "Silk Road" plan were former posts on the historic Silk Road. This includes Xi'an, the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, which is already experiencing international and long-haul growth. Xi'an's only scheduled (albeit seasonal) long-haul route is from Finnair, which launched service from Helsinki in summer 2013. China Eastern plans to launch Xi'an-Moscow service while Hainan Airlines will launch a Xi'an-Paris service.

Chengdu and Chongqing are also expected to fall under the "Silk Road" plan, ensuring growth continues there. Urumqi, already a hub for West Asia, will also likely feature in the plan and continue to grow. New regions including Gansu (home to Lanzhou) and Tibet (Lhasa and Xining) will also likely benefit, boosting their international services.