CHENGDU, March 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Construction of a new airport in 
southwest China's Sichuan Province is underway.
   The Airport will link two of China's most popular tourist areas,
Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong  and will also connect the Songpan 
Grassland with Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.
    Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong are famous for their clean and 
colorful lakes, natural forests and beautiful landscape and up to 
1.2 million Chinese and overseas tourists  visit them annually. 
   Both areas are listed with the United Nation's Educational, 
Scientific and Cultural Organization as one of the world's natural
heritage treasures and are members of the international biosphere 
network. 
   A provincial government official says the new airport will make
it possible to form a direct air traffic network between Sichuan 
and other tourist cities in western China such as Kunming, Xi'an 
and Lanzhou,  
   The Jiuzhai-Huanglong Airport will cost  777 million yuan  to 
be provided by the State Development Bank and the governments of 
Kuwait and Sichuan Province. It is expected to  be open by 
September 2003. Enditem