Shanghai airports set new single-day passenger flow record

Shanghai's two airports reported their daily passenger traffic exceeded 400,000 passenger trips during the Chinese New Year holiday, setting new single-day passenger records for three consecutive days, according to the Shanghai Airport (Group) Co Ltd.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport handled a total of 3.66 million passenger trips during the holiday, which concluded on Feb 23. Daily, the two airports handled an average of 407,000 passenger trips, representing a 5.5 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

The steady growth in the two airports' passenger flow during Spring Festival was mainly driven by rising inbound tourism demand as well as seasonal travel demand among Chinese people.

Notably, single-day passenger flow set new highs on Feb 20, Feb 21 and Feb 22, when the two airports handled 425,000 passenger trips, 431,000 passenger trips, and 438,000 passenger trips, respectively, each marking a new one-day record.

During the annual festive travel rush from Feb 15 to Feb 23, the two airports handled 22,000 take-offs and landings, representing a growth of 3.1 percent year-on-year.

Shanghai-based carrier China Eastern Airlines also benefited from the extended nine-day holiday, recording a surge in travel demand. The airline carried more than 4.33 million passenger trips in total, averaging over 481,000 passenger trips per day, a year-on-year increase of 6.5 percent.

Operating a total of 28,500 flights, the carrier registered a peak in daily passenger flow on Feb 22, with 526,000 passenger trips on 3,287 flights.