KUNMING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Yunnan Province has opened or will open 10 new international air routes this year to facilitate its connection with South Asia and Southeast Asia, local authorities said Friday. The passenger or freight routes will connect to Thailand, Nepal, Russia and United Arab Emirates, said Guo Jinhua, spokesperson for the provincial development and reform commission.

Four routes were launched earlier this year, including the one from the tourist resort of Xishuangbanna to Chiangmai, Thailand, and from the provincial capital Kunming to Langkawi, Malaysia.

Other routes to be opened include the Kunming-Pattaya passenger route, which is expected to be inaugurated in July, and a cargo route between Kunming and Dubai, which is estimated to open in October, she said.

Yunnan is a border province in southwest China and a gateway to Southeast Asia and South Asia. To date, the number of civil airports in the province has reached 15.