Shanghai, a financial and economic center of China, pledged to build itself into an air transport hub for Asia and Pacific region and a key link in the world's aviation network, Shanghai Airport Group said on Thursday.

According to a strategic plan of the company, Shanghai will achieve its target by 2015 in three phases. From 2005 to 2007, the two airports, Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport, will be able to handle about 50 million passengers and 3.1 million tons of cargo each year, along with the improvement of airports' infrastructure.

The two airports will handle 84 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo a year after the expansion of Hongqiao Airport is finished and the second phase of Pudong Airport project is complete in the 2007-2010 period.

From 2010 to 2015, Shanghai will handle 110 million passengers and 7 million tons of cargo yearly.

(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2006)