According to Three Gorges Airport, by 11am, December 31st, the airport has clocked up 8855 secure take-offs and landings, a year-on-year growth of 20.2%. Its handling capacity registered a year-on-year growth of 15.6%, rising above 900,000 passengers. All these numbers hit record high.

　　In 2012, Three Gorges Airport stepped up efforts to expand aviation market and succeeded in “setting up” more air routes in Yichang. With the opening up of first-class port and the regular flight from Yichang to Hong Kong, more travelers and freight from neighboring cities such as Jingzhou and Jingmen, chose to fly from Yichang, boosting economic development in regions of Yichang, Jingzhou and Jingmen. Convenient transfer between air and water transportation significantly speed up the tourism growth as well as cultural and trade exchanges in Yichang and its neighboring cities.

　　Furthermore, the main project of the first phase apron-extension program was completed on December 15th. With the newly built 31,000 square meters of apron, the total apron rose to 74,000 square meters. The flight bays also increased from 6 to 11 and the boarding bridges from 2 to 4, which will effectively meet the transportation needs of peak load in Three Gorges Airport.