The Xizang autonomous region saw its annual air passenger throughput top 7 million for the first time on Saturday, a record high, indicating steady growth momentum of the civil aviation sector and the local economy.

The volume of air passenger throughput handled in the autonomous region exceeded the full-year volume recorded last year on Nov 17, said the Xizang autonomous regional administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

This year, Xizang's civil aviation sector is expected to handle 69,000 takeoffs and landings, passenger throughput of 7.73 million and cargo throughput of 53,000 metric tons, growing 13.6 percent, 12.1 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively, the regional administration said.

So far this year, Xizang Airport Group launched 10 new routes, and resumed international flights connecting Lhasa — capital of the autonomous region — and Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. The group is also preparing to launch flights connecting Lhasa with Singapore and China's Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, booking volumes of flights from various domestic cities to Lhasa so far this year have jumped 10 percent on a yearly basis, said Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

A number of scenic spots in Xizang have drawn the attention of travelers across the country. For instance, Nyingchi has been a hot spot for peach blossom viewing in spring and for its colorful autumn scenery, said Tuniu Corp, a Nanjing, Jiangsu province-based online travel agency.

Currently, there are eight civil airports in operation in the autonomous region, including one trunk line airport and seven regional airports. A total of 177 routes have been launched so far, connecting 75 cities. These include major cities nationwide and they are mainly located in Southwest and Northwest China, the regional administration said.

This year, Xizang Airport Group has been actively expanding business in the civil aviation market and promoting the facilitation of transit services for flights entering and leaving Xizang, which has helped attract more travelers to the autonomous region.

In addition, the group reached cooperation with the airport groups of Yunnan province, Sichuan province and Chongqing for the first time this year, as it aims to further expand market share, enhance service quality and boost core competitiveness.

Xizang Airport Group said it has strengthened efforts online and offline to create a new business model that integrates the sectors of aviation with culture and tourism, and has raised the popularity of the tourism market in the autonomous region.

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