China plans to expand the Jiuhuang Airport at the famous scenic spot of Jiuzhaigou in southwest China's Sichuan Province to relieve the air traffic jam caused by a surge of tourism.

The expansion project, which is expected to cost 300 million yuan (37 million US dollars), is inviting public bidding for construction, the airport authority announced Wednesday.

The first plateau airport in the province, it is located at Songpan County, which is 83 km from Jiuzhaigou and 52 km from Huanglong, two scenic spots famous for the karst scenery.

The airport opened in 2003, cutting the travel time to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, from eight hours by bus to 40 minutes.

However, aircrafts have often been delayed since its opening due to inadequate parking aprons, according to the airport.

"We used to predict that by 2010, the airport would receive annual arrivals of 600,000, however, by last October, it received more than 1 million passengers," said an manager with the airport.

But the expansion of the airport has also brought controversy. Some experts arguing that more tourists will bring increasing pressure on the environment of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, which have both been listed as world heritage sites by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The two sites are also famous for their colorful water pools, snow mountains, deep valleys and forests. They received more than 1.9 million tourists from home and abroad in 2004.

Source: Xinhua