[InKunming--Yunnan]  Routes Asia 2015, a forum to exhibit airlines companies’ strength, will be held in Kunming from March 15 to 17 this year. The forum is considered to be an important platform for Yunnan to speed up its development and integration of airlines and tourism.

It is said that by the forum, more airlines are expected to be launched, and richer selections of destinations are expected to be provided in Yunnan in times to come.

Routes Asia, organized annually from the year of 2003, is a regional airlines forum that brings together a range of airlines companies, airport management companies and tourism authorities, including some of the largest carriers from Asian region.

The forum had been successfully held in Malaysia, Thailand, India, Australia, South Korea and many other countries before. Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province, will be the fifth Chinese city that is to hold the Route Asia following Haikou, Macao, Chengdu and Beijing.

Tang Xuefan(唐学范), president of Yunnan Airport Group Co., noted that the province has 12 airports in service and 3 airports in construction. Yunnan is planned to have more than 410 airlines by the year of 2020. Air service is set to cover 90% of the population of Yunnan.

Tang also said that Kunming has become a centre of the five-hour flight circle in Asia. Passengers could get to many Southeast Asian regions including Bangkok, Vientiane, Mandalay, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, etc., in 2 hours from Kunming, and could get to South Asia, West Asia regions in 5 hours from Kunming.

Besides, Lugu Lake Airport will be open to navigation before the end of this year. The airport, which is still under construction at present, is located about 25 kilometers away from Lugu Lake, a world-renowned tourist destination in Lijiang City, Yunnan.

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(Editors: Tracy, Cathy Chen)