Kunming Wujiaba Airport outgrown; Massive new Changshui facilty to open in early 2012

Kunming Wujiaba International Airport (KMG), the gateway to Southwest China's Yunnan Province, was the seventh busiest airport in China in 2010. However, a growth rate of (just) 6.6% made it the slowest growing among China's 12 largest airports. Amid rising demand and capacity constraints, Kunming is nearing completion on a USD3.6 billion replacement, Kunming Changshui International Airport, which is scheduled to be operational in early 2012 and become the fourth largest aviation hub in China. Currently China's largest airport construction project, Changshui is aimed at developing Kunming as an economic area and key transportation hub for the region to Southeast Asia. Upon opening, Kunming Xiaoshan International Airport will be equipped with two 4000m runways and a 400,000sqm terminal capable of handling up to 27 million passengers p/a, with this capacity expected to double within five years.