On April 29, 2026, a Chengdu Airlines passenger plane took off from Kashgar Leining International Airport and flew directly to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. This seemingly ordinary flight is actually the latest footnote to the systematic upgrade of the aviation network in Xinjiang since the summer and autumn flight season of 2026, based on the "one core, multiple auxiliary" hub system. From international to domestic, a denser and faster aerial Silk Road is accelerating.

The westward international network is accelerating its formation

The Kashgar Osh route (flight number EU3055/56, operates every Tuesday) officially opened on April 29, 2026, in coordination with existing routes such as Kashgar to Islamabad and Kashgar to Khuzhande, marking the accelerated formation of a westward international aviation network centered on the southern Xinjiang city of Kashgar. At the same time, Urumqi International Airport continues to consolidate its trunk network to Central Asia, West Asia, and Europe, with routes such as Yining to Almaty complementing each other, creating a new matrix of multi-point entry and exit air routes with wider coverage and denser schedules.

More convenient travel within the domestic territory

Under the new airline season, passengers departing from regional airports in Xinjiang such as Kashgar, Korla, and Yining can enjoy one-stop direct flights to multiple mainland cities such as Hangzhou, Qingdao, and Hefei, greatly saving travel time. Urumqi to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other backbone air routes maintain high-frequency operation, forming a three-dimensional entry and exit channel of "trunk line+branch line" in Xinjiang. On the domestic front, the newly opened inter flight routes from Altay to Hami and Yining to Hami have achieved direct air connectivity for the three major tourism sectors of northern, southern, and eastern Xinjiang for the first time. Keywords: the Belt and Road News Network, Air Silk Road

Infrastructure builds a solid foundation for development

The continuous expansion of the airline network cannot be separated from the strong support of infrastructure. On April 22, 2026, the first phase of the maintenance and cargo area project of China Southern Airlines Urumqi International Airport officially started construction. The construction of such key facilities will significantly enhance aircraft maintenance and support capabilities, as well as air cargo efficiency, laying a solid foundation for the sustainable development of international aviation hubs and the opening and operation of more routes in the future.Editor/Gao Xue