China's Hubei opens new airport

WUHAN - Central China's Hubei province on Saturday opened its seventh civil airport in the city of Jingzhou.

The 143-hectare airfield handled its first arrival -- a flight from South China's Guangzhou -- on Saturday morning, according to the Hubei Airports Group Company that operates the airport.

Involving a total investment of 1.3 billion yuan ($202 million), the airport's construction began in 2018 with a designed potential annual passenger throughput of 700,000 by 2025.

It is likely to start air routes linking several Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi'an and Hangzhou, the company said.

Officials said the new airport would boost local tourism and enhance the region's status as a transportation hub.