China plans highest airport

CHINA will start work on the world’s highest airport next year, in Tibet’s Nagqu county, state media said yesterday, which will be about 100m (328ft) higher than the existing record holder in another part of the remote and restive region.

Nagqu airport will be at an altitude of 4,436m (14,553ft) above sea level, slightly higher than the airport in Qamdo town at 4,334, (14,219ft), Xinhua news agency reported. The airport will cost 1.8 billion yuan (€214.19m) and is expected to open in three years, Xinhua added.

Tibet already has five civilian airports, at least two of which are only open for a few months of the year because of extreme weather that makes flying impossible the rest of the time.