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Chengdu flies high as airport breaks passenger record
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LAST week marked another milestone for Chengdu as the city’s Shuangliu International Airport recorded 40 million passenger throughputs ranking the fourth of the contury for the year as of December 10.
Altogether, some 42-million air-travel passengers are expected to pass through Chengdu’s airport for the whole of 2015, up 11 percent from the previous year and over four-fold from 2004 when total passenger traffic totaled 10 million. The throughput is expected to rank into 30th of international airports. International traffic is also on the rise, with 3.2 million foreigner travelers passing through the airport last year, up 31.9 percent year on year. It is a sign that Chengdu is moving faster on the path toward internationalization.
It took Chengdu five years to realize a passenger throughput of 20 million in 2009 from 10 million in 2004. In comparison, the capital city of China’s southwest Sichuan Province used only three years to break the 30 million records in 2012 and 40 million this year.
“Chengdu has made itself outstanding among all second-tier cities,” said Chen Zhongwei, director of Chengdu’s Port and Logistics Office. “We are moving closer to first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.”
On December 12, Chengdu opened its 85th international route to make the city connect with 71 overseas transport hubs by air, among which 41 are regular direct flights and cover Asia, North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania. To note, some important regular direct flights, including those to San Francisco, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Melbourne, Doha, Moscow and Mauritius, has just started in the past two years as Chengdu accelerated the international route expansion in 2013.
Over the years ahead, authorities intend to open three new direct international routes each year as the city’s internationalization plans gather steam.
“Chengdu is ambitious,” Chen said. “The fulfillment of 40 million passenger throughput for the airport is memorable and will turn over a new chapter for Chengdu to construct a national aviation hub.”
The upsurge in passengers to Chengdu is not confined to those coming by air. Similarly, the number of visitors traveling by train or car is also increasingly rapidly.
“Chengdu is to become a preferred transit to connect China with Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Oceania and North America,” Chen said. “Our goal is to realize the transit across the world within one day.”
There are now more reasons than ever for visitors to come to Chengdu. These days, many are also coming for business. By the end of November, 268 Fortune Global 500 companies had set up branches or factories in Chengdu, making it a global base of electronic products and automobiles. More than two thirds of the world’s iPads are assembled in Chengdu, along with half of the world’s laptop computer chips. Chengdu has direct business liaisons with 211 countries and regions, and 15 nations have set up consulates in Chengdu.
Others come for tourism and leisure. Chengdu is a city known for its beautiful scenery, spicy food and ancient history. The city and its surroundings boast a variety of museums and cultural heritages, as well as the famed ancient Shu, Three Kingdom, Dujiangyan Irrigation System and the Qingcheng Mountain.
In October, authorities in Chengdu released a blueprint outlining plans to turn the city into one of the world’s leading shopping centers and tourist destination. To realize this goal, city authorities will start a pilot program promoting the opening of duty-free shops in airports, scenic spots and downtown areas in early 2016.
Still others come to Chengdu in search of business opportunities. Chengdu is widely considered a bellwether for economic conditions in western China. Last year, Chengdu’s GDP surpassed 1 trillion yuan (US$164 billion) for the first time in history. In the first three quarters of this year, Chengdu maintained economic expansion of 8 percent, despite signs of wavering demand from both at home and abroad. The growth was also stronger than the national average of 6.9 percent.
Meanwhile, China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative has created many new opportunities for Chengdu. Described as another “Go West” policy and together with the country’s construction of Yangtze River Economic Belt, the initiative is expected to become a new driver of growth in Chengdu.
Besides, Chengdu will also focus on the Chengdu-Europe Express, connecting west and south direction of international railway logistics. Chengdu is aimed to become a hub city connecting Europe and Pan Asia.
“Chengdu is in a strategic position when it comes to China’s future development, not only because of its geographic location, but for its strong ambition of leading the growth in China’s interior areas,” said Chen Wengling, a researcher at the Development Research Department under the State Council.
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