Seven planes shuttle between the quake-hit Yushu prefecture and Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, every day, carrying supplies, rescuers and injured people after a devastating earthquake rocked the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, an official said Saturday.

The Yushu airport, a branch-line airport about 4,000 meters above sea level on the plateau, has only three gate positions and 60 workers, said Xia Xinghua, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.

The airport was put into operation in August 2009.

From 8:00 AM Thursday to 1:00 AM Saturday, 22 quake-relief planes landed at Yushu, said Xia.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2010)