SOURCE / ECONOMY
Cross-border passengers expected to reach 1.85 million daily during Spring Festival holidays, up 9.5% y-o-y: NIA
Published: Jan 24, 2025 12:57 PM
Passengers queue for check-in at the Beijing Capital International Airport on January 14, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Capital Internation Airport

Passengers queue for check-in at the Beijing Capital International Airport, on January 14, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Capital Internation Airport


China's ports are forecast to experience a surge in inbound and outbound passenger flows during the 2025 Spring Festival holidays, with an average of 1.85 million daily cross-border passenger movements, up 9.5 percent from the holiday period last year, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Friday.

Inbound and outbound passenger flows at large international airports are expected to increase. The daily average of cross-border passengers is anticipated to reach 42,000 at Beijing Capital International Airport (North China), 95,000 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (East China), 48,000 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (South China), and 19,000 at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (Southwest China), said NIA.

The peak of outbound passenger flow is anticipated to be concentrated from January 28 to 30 (from Chinese New Year's Eve to the second day of the first lunar month), while the peak of inbound passenger flow is expected to mainly concentrate from February 3 to 4 (from the sixth to the seventh day of the first lunar month). The 8-day Spring Festival holidays span from January 28 to February 4.

On Friday, an official from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said at a press conference that the ministry will advise airlines to increase flight frequencies and offer benefits such as discounts on air tickets, snow equipment check-in, and shuttle vouchers to help accommodate the surge in travel demand during the Spring Festival holidays.

Airlines have ramped up flight frequencies during the 40-day chunyun period, or Spring Festival travel rush (starting January 14), the world's largest annual human migration, to accommodate the growing number of inbound, outbound, and cross-regional passengers.

For instance, Air China plans to increase 200 international flights during chunyun, among the total 3,400 flights newly added, according to media report.

Meanwhile, airports also made efforts to increase their capacity. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on Thursday officially opened a new runway to facilitate takeoffs and landings. It becomes the first four-runway airport in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, CCTV News reported.

According to data from Umetrip, an official mobile platform for real-time flight information, the number of international flight ticket bookings for the Spring Festival holidays exceeded 1.72 million by Wednesday, up 21 percent from last year's holiday period. Domestic flight ticket bookings have amounted to 9.58 million.

Travel demand during the Spring Festival holidays has significantly increased, with customized bookings witnessing a 57 percent increase year-on-year, Jia Jianqiang, founder and CEO of Beijing-based online agency 6renyou, told the Global Times on Friday.

"In terms of outbound travel, family trips are dominating the market. Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, the Nordic countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Spain are the most popular outbound travel destinations," Jia added.

Global Times