Kunming to Host Routes Asia 2015

Routes Asia will return to China in 2015 when the event takes place 15-17 March in Kunming, the capital and largest city of Yunnan province in Southwest China.

The event will be hosted by Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd. owners of Kunming Changshui International Airport, and supported by their partners Yunnan Provincial Civil Aviation Development and Management Bureau and Yunnan Provincial Tourism Development Committee.

This will be the fifth time that a Routes event has taken place in China. In 2007 Routes Asia was held in Hainan and the following year the event took place in Macau. World Routes 2009 took place in Beijing and, most recently, Routes Asia 2012 took place in Chengdu, hosted by Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

With its beautiful landscapes and mild climate the Yunnan province is one of China’s major tourist destinations. Located at an altitude of 1,900m above sea level the city of Kunming, known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’, enjoys an average temperature of 15°C. The perpetual spring-like weather provides the ideal climate for plants and flowers to flourish. This ideal ecological environment, along with the countless natural lakes in the region, creates beautiful landscapes which have made this destination a popular holiday resort in China.

“On behalf of Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd, I look forward to welcoming delegates from the aviation and tourism industry to Kunming to attend Routes Asia 2015, which will be proudly hosted by Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd.,” said Mr Tang Xuefan, President of Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd., continuing: “The central government of China, Yunnan Provincial Government and the Civil Aviation Administration of China strongly support the development of Yunnan’s aviation industry. Kunming Changshui International Airport has the geographic advantage of being able to connect China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. With the development of China's western region, the central government is building Yunnan into a gateway for China by opening up to the Southwest region. This establishes Kunming International Airport as a national gateway hub, and brings new opportunities for the development of Yunnan aviation marketing.”

Adrian Newton, Group Director of UBM Live London, said, “Kunming Changshui International Airport is the seventh busiest airport in China and has undergone a complete reconstruction. Routes Asia 2015 will provide an opportunity to showcase this to the Routes community. Delegates will also experience Kunming - the “City of Eternal Spring” and Yunnan Province and its natural beauty. Yunnan Airport Group Co. Ltd has been attending Routes events for many years and we now look forward to working even more closely with their team to deliver Routes Asia in 2015.”

Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG) is located just 27km northeast of Kunming city centre and is the 7th largest airport in China with the most rapidly growing number of passengers. In 2012 the airport welcomed 23.98 million passengers and provided connection to 116 destinations such as Dubai, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur operated by 34 airlines.

As a national hub airport connecting Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe, KMG is the fourth largest hub in China, following Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and is also the most important gateway hub in western China.

It is one of the world’s leading eco-friendly airports which was planned, designed and built on the principle of being energy saving, environmentally friendly and traveller friendly based on modern technologies.