Southwest China's Yunnan Province is to invest more than 20 billion yuan (US$2.5 billion) in airport construction projects in the next five years.

According to the province's blueprint for the 11th Five-Year Guidelines (2006-2010), the projects will further improve transportation ability of Yunnan and boom local economic growth in the sectors of foreign trade and tourism.

By 2010, the number of airports in Yunnan will reach 15, forming a comprehensive air traffic network that links all parts of Yunnan with the outside world, especially countries in southeastern Asia and southern Asia.

With the provincial capital Kunming as hinge, the air traffic network will provide domestic and overseas tourists convenient access to dozens of well-known tourism sites such as Lijiang ancient town, Xishuangbannan ethnic villages and Simao border city.

The Kunming new international airport is aimed at becoming one of the world's top 80 airports by 2010 in the fields of flight number and capacity of passenger and cargo handling.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2006)