China's civil aviation sees surge in traffic ahead of May Day holiday

China's civil aviation sector has seen a steady recovery, driven by the implementation of favorable policies to boost international travel, with a significant surge in passenger traffic ahead of the upcoming May Day holiday.

According to the Beijing Capital International Airport, one of the country's busiest hubs, this year's international passenger traffic at the airport surpassed 5 million as of April 25, marking a 19 percent increase year-on-year.

"The boost in traffic comes as the country continues to roll out favorable measures designed to facilitate easier international travel, including streamlined visa policies and increased flight connectivity," said Du Tao, an official from the airport's operation control center.

Du also noted that this surge is also bolstered by the approaching May Day holiday, traditionally one of the busiest travel periods in China. As the holiday period draws near, which begins on Thursday, more travelers are taking to the skies, spurred on by the increased availability of international flights and better accessibility to destinations across the globe.

The airport's growth in international traffic is evident in the increased number of travelers from key destinations such as South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Notably, the recent shift to the summer-autumn flight schedule has seen the launch and restoration of several international routes, including services to cities such as Vladivostok, Tel Aviv, and Irkutsk. Additionally, the long-awaited resumption of flights to Los Angeles is expected to further bolster travel between China and the United States.

In addition, European destinations such as Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Vienna, and London Gatwick have also seen frequency increases. Meanwhile, key Asian cities, including Tokyo (Haneda), Osaka, Sapporo, and Nagoya, are benefiting from additional flights, further cementing the airport's position as a critical international travel hub.

Looking ahead to the May Day holiday, Beijing Capital International Airport is preparing for an even greater influx of passengers. The airport expects to handle 957,000 traveler trips over the five-day holiday, with an average of 191,000 trips per day. Flight operations will also peak, with 5,880 flights scheduled throughout the holiday period, averaging 1,176 flights per day.

Wednesday is expected to be the busiest day, with about 210,000 passenger trips passing through the airport, and 1,225 flights scheduled to take off and land. The airport anticipates another peak on May 5, when returning travelers are expected to flood back to the capital, with 221,000 passenger trips expected to travel and 1,266 flights in operation.

At the Beijing Daxing International Airport, more international services have been resumed. On Monday, Royal Brunei Airlines resumed its round-trip service between Beijing Daxing and Bandar Seri Begawan, operating twice weekly. With this addition, the airport now serves over 40 international destinations, including major tourism hubs such as Singapore, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Casablanca.

To better serve international travelers, the Daxing airport continues to upgrade its multilingual service capabilities, equipping inquiry counters with translation devices and interpretation support in collaboration with local universities. The service is provided in real-time in eight languages including English, French, German and Japanese. Foreign visitors can also benefit from enhanced services in payments, communications, transportation, baggage, tourism and consultation. All commercial outlets at the airport accept both domestic and international bank cards, and currency exchange services are available throughout the terminal, according to the airport.

Shang Kejia, deputy director of the transport department at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, noted that international travel is experiencing a strong recovery. Passenger volume and flight activity on international routes during the May Day holiday are expected to reach their highest levels since the beginning of the second quarter.

Improvements in visa facilitation and the expanded implementation of services such as instant tax refunds for overseas visitors are expected to further stimulate inbound travel, contributing to a continued rise in foreign airlines increasing their operations in China.

"This year's five-day May Day holiday is expected to witness continued growth across China's civil aviation market," she said at a news conference on Sunday.

Nationwide, the sector is projected to handle approximately 10.75 million passenger trips during the holiday, averaging 2.15 million trips per day — an 8 percent year-on-year increase and a new record for the period.

"Travel demand will mainly focus on popular destinations such as Japan, South Korea, and countries and regions across Southeast Asia," Shang noted.