The third civil airport in Tibet Autonomous Region has passed official quality test and is ready for operation, a joint team in charge of checking the airport construction said Monday.

The general examination carried out by a number of civil aviation experts on Friday confirmed the quality of the Nyingchi Airport, which means the airport is eligible for operation.

Construction of the Nyingchi Airport started in October 2004 and cost more than 700 million yuan (US$87.5 million).

With a 3,000-meter-long runway, the airport, 400 kilometers from Lhasa, Tibet's regional capital, is expected to have an annual passenger flow of 120,000.

The airport is 2,954 meters above sea level, lower than the other two airports in Lhasa and Qamdo.

Its low altitude will make Nyingchi an ideal first stop for tourists to gradually adapt themselves to Tibet's highland climate and minimize the harms of low oxygen, experts said.

Nyingchi Prefecture, covering 117,000 square kilometers and bordering India and Myanmar, is known for its humid and mild weather, beautiful landscape and rich natural resources.

About 120 kilometers from the Nyingchi Airport is the Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon, the world's largest canyon that is often referred to as the last secret land yet to be explored by human beings.

(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2006)