Passengers walk through Beijing Daxing International Airport on April 29, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Daxing International Airport

With the traditional May Day long holiday approaching, China's transport sector is now buzzing with activity. The national railway system launched its eight-day travel rush service on Wednesday, planning to handle 158 million passenger trips nationwide, while major airlines are ramping up flight capacity to cope with surging travelers.

China’s national railway system kicks off its May Day holiday travel rush on Wednesday. Spanning eight days from April 29 to May 6, the heated travel season is projected to witness 158 million rail passenger trips nationwide, the Global Times learned from China Railway Group. 

Rail authorities will operate roughly 12,000 passenger trains daily on average to meet surging travel demand. May 1 is set to be the busiest day of the rush, with passenger volume expected to hit 24 million, according to China Railway Group.

Travel demands for tourism, family visits and leisure trips remain robust during this year's May Day holiday. As of 8 am Wednesday, China Railway 12306 platform has sold a total of 83.02 million holiday train tickets. Top travel destinations include Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.

Travel demand for air travel is also rising steadily. Data from industry information provider Umetrip sent to the Global Times on Wednesday showed that as of Tuesday, domestic flight bookings for the May Day holiday had exceeded 6.01 million, while cross-border flight bookings had surpassed 1.12 million, registering a slight year-on-year increase.

When it comes to top travel destinations, Beijing ranks first on the domestic list for the May Day break, according to Umetrip.

Beijing Capital International Airport is projected to handle 1.023 million passengers trip during the five-day holiday from May 1 to 5, averaging 204,500 trips per day, with 6,160 flights scheduled, an average of 1,232 flights per day, the Global Times learned from the airport.

Meanwhile, the Beijing Daxing International Airport is expected to operate 5,249 flights and administer 857,600 passenger trips during the same period. The daily average will reach 1,050 flights and 171,500 passenger trips, representing year-on-year increases of 8.67 percent and 12.16 percent, the Global Times learned from the airport. 

Umetrip data showed that, as of Tuesday, flight bookings from China to Southeast Asia destinations for the long holiday increased by 24 percent year-on-year. The European market has also shown strong performance, with flight bookings from China to Europe rising about 13 percent year-on-year.

Major Chinese airlines have announced plans to increase flight capacity. China Eastern Airlines will operate 14,600 flights and has launched several new international routes, including Xi'an–Vientiane and Wuhan–Vientiane lines, to meet booming travel demand, the Global Times learned.

China Southern Airlines plans to run 33,000 flights from April 28 to May 8, with daily flight numbers rising 7 percent year-on-year. Its Southeast Asia routes will increase by 11 percent to 2,100 flights, the Global Times learned from the carrier.

Global Times