China Southern drives growth at Urumqi in China's northwest, a link between East Asia and West Asia

Although Chengdu and Chongqing garner attention for their growth in western China, Urumqi, a city even further west, continues to emerge as a hub between East Asia and the under-served region of West Asia, Central Asia and Russia and CIS. Although only the 18th largest airport in China with 11 million annual passengers in 2011, Urumqi's growth is high, its traffic having doubled in two years.

China Southern, Asia's largest carrier based on capacity, is developing a hub in Urumqi and has recently indicated it will accelerate growth. The majority of traffic is domestic while international growth has been concentrated westwards, although China Southern has dabbled with eastward flights outside of the mainland via charters to Hong Kong. Recent revisions to bilateral air service agreements should also see foreign carriers grow their presence in Urumqi.