On Monday, the Chinese state planner approved a 42.1 billion yuan for the airport expansion project in Urumqi, Xinjiang Province as part of the country's Belt and Road Initiative.
In a statement released, the National Development Reform Commission said that the construction will run through 2030 and the airport is expected to handle 63 million passengers and 750,000 tonnes of cargo every year.
The expansion would also add two new runways.
Once the airport is finished, it is expected that the investment value is over half of what China is currently spending for Daxing International Airport, which costs 80 billion and will handle 72 passengers every year by 2025.
Xinjiang, which is rich with oil and minerals, has been seeing new infrastructure since President Xi Jinping announced his Belt and Road Initiative.
The initiative aims to bolster trade between the country and its Asian neighbors and beyond.
The government is also investing in other parts of the country as a means to alleviate poverty and integrate them in the national economy.
Xinjiang has been in the headlines in recent months as international organizations and activists claim that Beijing has been actively detaining Muslim Uighurs and other groups and monitoring their activities.
Economic growth in China's western regions slowed in the first half of the year, mostly due to a decline in fixed asset investment. In the case of Xinjiang, its 1 trillion yuan ($144 billion) economy ranks among the smallest despite its size.
According to the NDRC, the Urumqi expansion aims to accommodate the aviation growth int he region and kickstart the growth of the aviation hub.
China is planning hundreds of airports across the country to serve the growing tourism industry and increasing middle class travelers.
Last year, Xinjiang received more than 100 million domestic and overseas tourists, up a third on the previous year.
Aside from Xinjiang's airport, many inland airports in the country are also being expanded to increase their routes to nearby areas.
Urumqi currently serves flights to and from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.
China Southern Airlines, which just announced plans to leave the SkyTeam airline alliance, has a hub in Urumqi.
