Korla Licheng Airport — Korla, China

Korla Licheng Airport serves the city of Korla in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, in the far west of the country on the northern edge of the vast Tarim Basin. At an elevation of about 3,041 feet, it has a single runway near 9,121 feet, connecting this desert-fringe city to Ürümqi and other points across the enormous distances of western China. Korla is an important regional center tied to the oil industry and to trade routes skirting the Taklamakan Desert. Air links are especially valuable given the scale of Xinjiang, and the KRL code identifies this airport, which supports the movement of people and business across one of China's most remote and expansive regions.