China will construct the world's highest-altitude airport next year in Tibet, which will the sixth in the strategic Himalayan region.
The airport, planned at an altitude of 4,436 meters in Nagqu prefecture, will be 102 meters higher than Bamda Airport in Tibet's Qamdo prefecture , currently the world's highest, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted a government work report as saying.
The airport will cover an area of up to 660 acres.
The Tibetan Branch of the China civil aviation administration has said the airport is expected to cost $285million with a three-year construction period.
Regional aviation authorities will add more flights next year to connect major cities in Tibet and also link the plateau region with other major cities nationwide, according to the document.
The increase in flight services is expected to help Tibet's airports handle 2.2 million passengers and 15,000 tonnes of cargo in 2012, it added. The Xinhua report did not mention when the airport would open.
Tibet already has five civilian airports, at least two of which are only open for a few months of the year because of extreme weather which makes flying impossible the rest of the time.
China has embarked upon a multi-billion-dollar program in recent years to revamp old airports and build new ones, especially in the remote west, as a way of boosting the economy
