LUCKY passenger Fu Kehui received a VIP card, a bouquet and other souvenirs at Qingdao Airport on Nov. 19 after he became the 10 millionth passenger at the airport this year.

    The airport also held a ceremony to mark the record number of passengers and its establishment as one of the largest airports in the country.

    Qingdao Airport became the

    15th in China to reach a throughput of 10 million passengers.

    Each additional million air passengers creates a revenue of 1.81 billion yuan (US$273m) and 5,300 new jobs, according to a study by the International Airport Association.

    A photo exhibition reviewing the airport’s history has been put on to welcome arrivals.

    The throughput of Qingdao Airport has grown at a speed of more than 1 million passengers per year since it reached 4 million in 2004. The airport now has 84 domestic air routes and 11 international routes flying to 47 Chinese destinations, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, and seven cities abroad.

    About 2,200 flights depart from and arrive at the airport each week.

    Qingdao Airport is now an important transit point for flights from the Chinese mainland to South Korea and Japan and a hub in East China.

    (Chen Ting, Li Xiaohan)