Yutian County, located in the southern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, serves not only as the southern corridor of the Silk Road Economic Belt but also as a key hub connecting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to the interior of China.

With the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, Xinjiang is accelerating the construction and improvement of transportation infrastructure, which is of great significance for Yutian in optimizing the allocation of production factors and promoting the development of distinctive industries.

On December 26, 2020, Yutian Wanfang Airport was completed and put into operation.

On October 28, 2021, Spring Airlines successfully launched a pilot flight on the “Shanghai Hongqiao–Urumqi–Yutian” route, building an economic bridge connecting the people of Yutian directly to Shanghai and further promoting industrial exchange between Yutian and the Yangtze River Delta region.

On March 27 of this year, the “Yutian–Chengdu” route was officially launched.

The gradual expansion of routes at Yutian Wanfang Airport reflects the upward trend of the local aviation market. While meeting the travel needs of the people, it attracts more enterprises to invest and establish businesses in Yutian, driving the clustering and development of local industries by “breaking down regional barriers and optimizing the transportation network.”

In the future, Yutian will launch more direct, connecting, and circular routes, while continuing to focus on developing cargo routes and airport-related industries. These efforts will further serve the local regional economic development, consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and continue to drive rural revitalization.

An Airport Is More Than Just an Airport

With the advent of the global “integrated transportation” era, airports have evolved from mere aviation hubs into comprehensive urban economic complexes.

As a key factor influencing regional economic development, transportation shapes a city’s industrial spatial layout and determines its level of openness.

Previously, the Hotan Prefecture had only one military-civilian dual-use airport in Hotan, which significantly constrained the development of tourism and logistics in the three eastern counties.

With the completion and opening of Yutian Airport, major airlines are actively developing route networks to Yutian.

With air transport infrastructure in place, Yutian can establish a logistics hub for specialty agricultural and sideline products, improving transport efficiency and significantly increasing the added value of these goods.

Yutian’s renowned specialty products—such as Hotan jade and handwoven wool carpets—are highly sought after in the market, particularly roses, which can now be transported via flights from Yutian to markets across the country.

In addition, Yutian County boasts abundant tourism resources, including the pristine landscapes preserved in the Kunlun Mountains, the world’s largest desert landscape—the Daliaboyi Desert in the Taklamakan Desert—as well as cultural heritage sites of immense historical value such as the Ancient City of Yuansha, the Karadun Buddhist Temple, the Holy Spring of the Desert, and the Kurban · Tulum Memorial Hall, as well as historical and cultural sites along the Southern Route of the Silk Road. The expansion of the air route network will undoubtedly drive the further development of the tourism industry.

Leveraging the hub airport, Yutian has established an efficient transportation network, achieving open connectivity in the flow of people, goods, and information, thereby strengthening the framework of development, ensuring smoother circulation, and generating more vigorous momentum.

A New Historical Opportunity
Yutian Enters the Aerotropolis Era

The opening of Yutian Wanfang Airport has not only expanded the channels for Yutian’s distinctive agricultural products and abundant mineral resources to reach markets beyond Xinjiang but has also opened new avenues for rural revitalization.

In recent years, Yutian has relied on the Tianjin Industrial Park (Rose Town) to continuously advance industrial transformation, striving to achieve leapfrog development.

Since the opening of Yutian Wanfang Airport, an increasing number of enterprises have extended “olive branches” to Yutian, and investment promotion has become a key driver of the region’s rapid economic growth.

The number of enterprises settling in the industrial park has increased year by year, including: 26 agricultural specialty product processing enterprises such as Tianfeng Agricultural Trade, Guimi Biotechnology, Kunlun Yuguo, Tianyuan Biotechnology, Rose Garden Foods, Aile Huma, Jinkentonghe, Tianli Shasheng, and Yinquan International; 6 footwear enterprises such as Xiesheng, Haimar, Jinsen, Cihang, Yifeng, and Mingniaohuang;4 textile enterprises, including Feilate, Qisheng, Jiacheng, and Qingyuan Socks; 4 textile and apparel enterprises, including Hongrong Light Industry, Xinda Cheng, Yongli, and Runda; 13 building materials enterprises, including Hotan Yaobai Cement, Dekun Lihhe, Baiyi Industry & Trade, Huayang Anti-theft Steel, Jiahe New Building Materials, Zhiyou Commerce & Trade, Jintai Steel Structure, and Xianglong; and 1 new energy enterprise, Xinfeng Power Generation.

The transition from direct assistance to industrial poverty alleviation that drives employment for the impoverished—commonly referred to as shifting from “blood transfusion-style” aid to “blood production-style” support—is the most effective and stable approach to rural revitalization, and the key to “teaching people to fish.”

Currently, Yutian Airport has become the transportation hub making the greatest contribution to the local economy. It has not only improved the comprehensive transportation system of the Hotan region but also broken through bottlenecks in local economic development, driving the regional economy toward better and faster growth. It holds significant and far-reaching implications for maintaining political stability in Southern Xinjiang and promoting ethnic and cultural exchange.

In the future, with the completion of the Hotan-Ruocheng Railway and the Xicheng-Hotan Expressway, Yutian will emerge as a trade, logistics, and transportation hub in the Tarim Basin, connecting to Kashgar in the west, Golmud in the east, and Ali in the south, while radiating influence across the South Asian subcontinent. This will significantly shorten the distance to exit Xinjiang by more than 1,000 kilometers.

Leveraging the integrated advantages of its road, rail, and air transportation networks, Yutian will capitalize on Tianjin’s expertise in supporting Xinjiang’s development to focus on building an aviation logistics park. Guided by the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative, the region will increase its openness and attract numerous leading enterprises to establish operations there.