Photo: Courtesy of Emirates

As the summer travel season begins, the number of inbound and outbound passengers is now steadily rising. Many foreign airlines are launching and expanding flights to China, taking advantage of the summer travel season to further expand into the Chinese market.

Starting Thursday, Mongolian Airlines will launch a new direct flight from Shanghai to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

With the launch of the Shanghai route, Mongolian Airlines now operates five routes from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Hohhot cities, and plans to add a route to Erenhot in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

On Thursday, Delta announced it will offer new flight options from Shanghai to Las Vegas for CES 2026, which will be held from January 6 to 9, connecting tech enthusiasts to the most influential tech event in the world.

Delta currently operates 17 weekly flights between Shanghai and the US, including daily services to Seattle and Detroit, and thrice-weekly services to Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, Emirates officially launched a daily non-stop passenger service between Dubai and Shenzhen city. 

Shenzhen becomes Emirates' fourth strategic gateway in the Chinese mainland, joining Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. With this addition, the number of weekly passenger flights between China and UAE will increase to 42, further strengthening the Aerial Silk Road.

This milestone reflects Emirates' ongoing commitment to strengthening its presence in the Chinese mainland and supporting the country's trade and tourism objectives. It is also aligned with the strengthening of China-UAE relations, and a strategic move to seamlessly connect the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's innovation corridor - an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub that aims to attract global innovation resources, through our flights, said Adnan Kazim, deputy president and chief commercial officer, Emirates Airline.

Emirates has served the Chinese mainland since 2002 and plays a key role in facilitating seamless connectivity to over 50 countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, covering one-third of the 150 participating countries and regions. 

In addition to Emirates, Cambodia Airways and Maldivian will also launch routes to Shenzhen in July. By then, the number of international and regional passenger destinations accessible by Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport is expected to exceed 50, CCTV reported on Thursday. 

Major airports are expecting a surge in passenger traffic, while the outbound travel market is experiencing rapid growth, with travel agencies reporting a spike in travel bookings—highlighting China's strong tourism and consumption potential.

During the 2025 summer travel season, the number of flights at Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports is projected to reach 150,000, a year-on-year increase of 5 percent. The two airports are expected to serve 24.55 million inbound and outbound passengers, a year-on-year increase of 7 percent, according to carnoc.com.

Global Times