Beijing, Nov 23 (IANS): The world's highest-altitude civilian airport in China will start operations in May after a successful landing test Friday, authorities said.
The Daocheng Yading airport, built at an altitude of 4,411 metres above the sea level in Sichuan province, is just 130 km from the scenic Yading nature reserve.
An Airbus A319 passenger plane landed successfully at Daocheng after flying in from Chengdu, the provincial capital, Xinhua reported.
The country's flagship carrier, Air China, is expected to launch the one-hour flight between Yading and Chengdu in May, said Tan Heng, an airport official.
The construction of the airport was completed in August this year.
The Bangda airport in Tibet, located 4,334 metres above sea level, previously held the record as the world's highest-altitude airport.