China will open its first passenger flight between Kunming and the Tibet Autonomous Region's Nyingchi this summer, China Eastern Airlines announced on Saturday.
The Shanghai-based carrier said it would announce the date of the first flight and the number of flights per week after negotiating with the two airports.
The flying time will be is one hour and 50 minutes from Kunming, capital of southwest Yunnan province, to Nyingchi, 400 kilometers from Lhasa.
Nyingchi Airport, the third civil airport in Tibet, is one of the world's most difficult airports from which to take off and land due to unique geographical features and volatile climate change.
China Eastern Airlines Yunnan Branch has operated the first trial flight of a Boeing 737-700 from Kunming to Nyingchi.
(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2007)