URUMQI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A new terminal at Urumqi Tianshan International Airport in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began trial operations on Thursday, marking a major step in expanding regional air capacity.

The new terminal is a key part of the airport's expansion project that started in 2019. With the upgrade, the annual passenger and cargo handling capacity has more than tripled for the airport, formerly known as Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, an air hub for China's westward opening up, according to Xinjiang Airport Group Co., Ltd.

With the completion of the expansion project, the airport now features three runways, up from one, and can accommodate up to 48 million passengers and 550,000 tonnes of cargo annually. It is now capable of supporting nearly 367,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings per year.

With the new terminal, the Urumqi airport will deliver higher-quality, more efficient air transport services and it will play a greater role in expanding high-level opening-up and boosting regional economic and social development, said an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China. ■