XI'AN - China on Thursday morning opened up civil aviation airspace between Shanghai and Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu province.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) air traffic management bureau, the 2,000-km-long airspace channel traverses the country's east, north, northwest and mid-south regions, with 48 airports, 14 airlines and more than 2,400 flights involved.

Che Jinjun, the bureau director said that China had optimized civil airspace channels in the northwest China's Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Che said China's east-west airspace artery, linking China's Yangtze River economic zone with the Beld and Road, would help improve flight punctuality and air travel safety.