Up, up and away as flights from airports take off
A passenger aircraft takes off from Pudong airport.
The number of daily flights at Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao airports will be restored to the level before the coronavirus outbreak during the summer-autumn aviation season starting Sunday.
Pudong International Airport had handled the largest number of international passengers among domestic airports. It was also among the most severely hit by COVID-19, after most international flights were suspended to curb the spread of the virus.
As the pandemic wanes on the mainland and demand of domestic travel rises, Pudong airport will operate over 1,500 daily flights during the new aviation season through the end of October, the same as that of 2019.
“The operation at Pudong airport has been restored rapidly mainly thanks to the fast recovery of the Chinese economy,” the Shanghai Airport Authority said over the weekend.
“The airport, airlines and China’s civil aviation industry have also been working out new strategies together to cope with the pandemic."
The airport and airlines have allocated a large number of flight schedules of international flights to meet the rising domestic demands. China’s largest international air hub is now operating busy domestic flights.
The ground facilities such as the bridges, aircraft stands and security channels have also been shifted to serve more domestic flights and travelers.
Multilingual customer services at Pudong airport.
Meanwhile, major operators at the airport such as China Eastern, Spring Air and Juneyao have released a handful of "fly free" packages that have no limit on the frequency, date or route. The ticket packages have greatly boosted domestic travel demands, especially during the National Day holiday and summer vacation in 2020.
Peng Guoxing, one of the first batch of buyers of China Eastern’s fly free package, said the effective prevention and control measures on the mainland made him confident to fly more frequently.
“The package makes me able to take care of both of my business and family,” said Peng, who owns a popular chain restaurant across China.
Operations at the airport was hit again in late 2020 when multiple domestic COVID-19 cases popped up in Shanghai and several other Chinese cities. But the market recovered by the end of February when the epidemic was under control again.
As of late March, Pudong International Airport is handling 110,000 domestic travelers every day, a 114 percent increase to that of 2019. About 900 domestic flights take off and land at the airport every day, a jump of 124 percent on year.
During the new aviation season, many new domestic routes will be open, while some popular flights will operate more frequently.
The direct flight between Shanghai and Zunyi, southwest Guizhou Province, will be doubled to four flights a day from Sunday at Pudong airport to become the most popular new domestic destination.
Zunyi is known as the site for the Zunyi Meeting, a decisive conference held in 1935 determining the fate of the Communist Party of China and the Red Army during the Long March. The city is expected to receive an increasing number of travelers in 2021, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Customers at a duty free shop at Pudong airport.
Pudong airport will be connected with 154 domestic cities, five more than that of last year, during the new season. Forty-six flights, such as those to Beijing’s Daxing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Tianjin as well as tourist destinations like Sanya in south Hainan and Lijiang in southwest Yunnan will be operated more frequently at the airport.
The airport has also prepared to receive an increasing number of travelers from across the country, who are expected to be attracted by the city’s abundant revolutionary landmarks. Especially the memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will officially open to the public in July.
Hongqiao International Airport, which has shifted all its international flights to Pudong, will operate 761 daily flights during the new aviation season, a 1.1 percent increase on year.
It will further increase the number of popular business routes to Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou to 14 flights a day to make the airport a hub for express flights to other domestic air hubs. The airport will be connected with 78 domestic destinations during the new aviation season, the same as that of 2019.
Nationwide, the summer-autumn aviation season will likely see 92,756 domestic flights per week, up by 10.7 percent from the same season in 2020, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Domestic and overseas airlines have altogether scheduled 5,972 weekly international cargo flights for the new season, a notable 32.8-percent growth from the winter-spring aviation season, the CAAC said.
International passenger flights will maintain a low frequency due to the country's COVID-19 prevention measures. The number of international passenger flights will rise slightly from winter and spring to 644 every week in the new season. It is only about three percent of the pre-pandemic level.
An aircraft takes off from Hongqiao airport.
