Travelers at the Beijing Daxing International Airport on September 24, 2026 Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Daxing International Airport

China registers robust travel volume on the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with passenger flows remaining high across transport networks.

China's railways are projected to carry 13 million passengers on Saturday, with 644 extra trains scheduled for operation. Scenic sightseeing trains have been launched in multiple regions to cater to holiday travel demand, CCTV News reported on Saturday. 

A 16-day extended rail transport campaign for the back-to-back Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays is fully underway, with a total of 284 million passenger trips expected. On the first day of the holiday, September 25, railways transported 21.761 million passengers.

Road travel is dominated by short and medium-distance trips, with strong demand for suburban and rural getaways around cities.

Civil aviation expects to handle 1.91 million passengers on Saturday, a 35 percent year-on-year increase. Major cities maintain heavy air passenger traffic, while tourist destinations see rapid passenger growth.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), between September 25 and October 7, the sector is forecast to serve 31.19 million passengers, averaging 2.4 million daily, up 3.6 percent. Daily peak volume may top 2.6 million, exceeding last year's level.

Beijing Daxing International Airport is expected to handle 1.79 million passenger trips and 11,040 flights during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. Traffic is expected to peak on October 1, with approximately 180,000 passenger trips and 1,150 flights, according to the data the airport shared with the Global Times.  

Data from Umetrip showed that Seoul topped the list of popular outbound destinations for the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. Following it are Hong Kong SAR, Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Air ticket bookings to Seoul surged more than 50 percent year-on-year. Bookings for flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and London all registered a year-on-year increase of over 20 percent, according to Umetrip.

Passenger traffic on the Xiamen-Kinmen "mini three links" route continues to rise during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Nearly 7,000 passenger trips were recorded on the first day, up nearly 30 percent from normal levels, with total holiday traffic expected to exceed 20,000, CCTV News reported on Saturday.

Data from Tongcheng Travel showed that bookings for local and nearby getaways accounted for over 60 percent of total reservations during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. 

On Friday, bookings for tickets to suburban scenic spots on the platform rose 36 percent compared with the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival. Classical gardens, ancient towns, cultural museums and theme parks were the most sought-after destinations. 

Global Times