CHENGDU, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in southwest China's Sichuan Province has handled 50 million passengers so far this year, according to the airport.

This is China's fourth airport with an annual passenger throughput of more than 50 million following Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

To date, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport has opened 333 air routes, among which 112 routes link Chengdu with international cities on five continents around the world.

Chengdu is gearing up to create a global aviation hub and gateway, which links midwest China with the world, as well as become a trans-continent connection hub and air cargo distribution center.

By the end of October, China had 234 civil airports and is expected to have around 450 by 2035, according to a guideline from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

In 2017, China's airports handled 552 million passenger trips, and the figure is expected to reach 720 million by 2020.