BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner on Monday said that it had approved an airport expansion project in Urumqi, capital of the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

With a total investment of 42.1 billion yuan (about 6.1 billion U.S. dollars), the project will expand the Urumqi Diwopu International Airport to meet the demand of the region's rapidly growing aviation market, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

A new terminal covering 500,000 square meters, and two new runways will be built.

After the expansion, the airport will be able to handle 63 million passengers and 750,000 tonnes of cargo and mail by 2030.

The NDRC approved nine fixed-asset investment projects in October with a combined investment of 91.8 billion yuan, primarily in transport and energy.

Fixed-asset investment, one of the major drivers of China's economy, posted growth of 5.7 percent in the first 10 months, up from 5.4 percent in the first nine months, according the National Bureau of Statistics.