The World Expo 2010 in Shanghai has given the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport a 40-percent boost in the number of overseas passengers this year, according to airport authorities.

The Hongqiao Frontier Inspection Station said that some 2.85 million passengers have arrived or departed from its gates via overseas flights over the past three years, after the airport first resumed international flights in 2007. Some 2.18 million foreigners have accounted for the bulk of passengers, while some 670,000 Chinese nationals comprised the remainder of overseas travelers at the airport.

Apart from the draw of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, authorities said that the airport's launch of new air routes, namely Taipei in June and Hong Kong last month, have also contributed to the increase in overseas air travelers. China's first business jet base, which opened earlier in March, has also attracted visitors, particularly government officials and businessmen, authorities added.

Located some 13 kilometers west of downtown, Hongqiao International Airport held Shanghai's all overseas flights until Pudong International Airport was completed in 1999. The airport in Pudong, some 40 kilometers east of the city, then began taking over the international flights.

Hongqiao International Airport currently serves as a major hub for domestic flights and business flights for airports located in downtown areas of major Asian cities, including Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei and Hong Kong.

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