Passengers at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, on March 14, 2026 Photo: VCG

China's ports are expected to see a peak in cross-border passenger flows during the May Day holiday, which runs from May 1 to May 5, with average daily inbound and outbound trips projected to reach 2.25 million and the single-day peak expected to exceed 2.4 million, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Tuesday.

Compared with figures from previous years, 2.25 million daily cross border trips will be a record high during the May Day holiday.

Inbound and outbound passenger flows at major international airports are expected to rise notably, with Shanghai Pudong International Airport projected to handle 102,000 border crossings per day, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport 55,000, Beijing Capital International Airport 49,000, and both Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport 20,000 crossings each, said the NIA.

Meanwhile, passenger flows at land ports adjacent to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Macao SAR are expected to remain at high levels. In Shenzhen, Luohu Port is projected to see 230,000 cross-border trips per day, while Futian Port is expected to handle 210,000. In Zhuhai, Gongbei Port is expected to record 396,000 trips per day, followed by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port with 129,000, according to the NIA.

The NIA said it is currently operating all inspection lanes at full capacity to ensure that Chinese citizens do not wait more than 30 minutes in immigration clearance queues, and to ensure safe, efficient, and smooth port operations.

Global Times