Lijiang initiates air travel in scenic mountain area

Lijiang General Aviation Industry Investment Co reached agreement with China National Aviation Holding Co (CNAH) to promote the air travel business in and around Lijiang scenic areas in Yunnan province on May 26.

The State Council released documentation on May 17 proposing to build over 500 general airports covering 50 percent of the 5A-level scenic spots in Yunnan province by 2020.

Yang Bing, the president of Yunnan General Aviation Co, said that he intended to increase the number of his company's aircraft based on its prospering helicopter air tourism business and effective market development strategies.

CNAH launched an air travel project in 2004, but it did not work well due to the restrictions of the low altitude tourism regulations. But at present, supported by the State Council, CNAH is going to positively impact Lijiang's air tourism project, said Sun Qingmin, vice-manager of CNAH.

Yang Bing also noted that this year's Lijiang air travel project and the one initiated by CNAH in 2014 are different because of the larger number of companies involved, the strategic support of the State Council and the more comfortable flight experience available to passengers.

The participating companies also signed cooperation contracts for flights to additional areas such as Shangri-la, another ideal sightseeing paradise in Yunnan, and Lhasa in the Tibet autonomous region.

By Li Xiaoxu and Qiu Guizhen and edited by Peter Nordlinger