Last year, the 16 airports reportedly handled 11.7 million passengers and 101,500 tons of mail and cargo. Meanwhile, the number of airlines operating in Xinjiang has reached 51.

A total of 116 air routes have been established, with 86 domestic routes connecting 79 cities in 19 different provinces and municipalities across the country.

"Developing civil aviation would also boost China's communications with neighboring countries in Central and West Asia and even South Asia," Li told the Global Times, adding that Urumqi will eventually become a regional hub.

The development in civil aviation comes amid a surge of investment from the central government to Xinjiang.

The central government is expected to invest more than 2.12 trillion yuan ($322 billion)in Xinjiang's development during 2011-2020, according to Beijing-based financial newspaper the Security Times Monday.

The investment will be used for water conservation, railway and civil aviation projects as well as real estate projects.