Wuxi airport gains momentum in internationalization over past decade

Sunan Shuofang International Airport in Wuxi [Photo/VCG]

Sunan Shuofang International Airport in Wuxi has gained traffic rights to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, along with several other airports in South Korea, after bilateral talks on aviation between China and South Korea in mid-March.

The new traffic rights have added momentum to the internationalization of Sunan Shuofang Airport on the 10th anniversary of the launch of international airlines at the airport, which fell on April 9.

The first international airline to operate between Wuxi and Japan's Osaka was launched on April 9, 2009. In December 2014, Asiana Airlines set up operations at Sunan Shuofang Airport and more channels were opened, showing how the airport has developed into an international operation. Since December 2017, the airport has been able to handle port visa business for foreigners.

The first international airline flight between Wuxi and Japan's Osaka is launched April 9, 2009. [Photo/wxrb.com]

According to the latest statistics, passenger throughput at Sunan Shuofang Airport reached 1.88 million in the first quarter of 2019, up 15.6 percent year-on-year, while cargo throughput amounted to 32,400 tons in the same period, a year-on-year increase of 17.3 percent. A total of 10,800 tons of cargo went through customs clearance at the airport in the same period.

The number of inbound and outbound passengers reached 940,000 in 2018, accounting for 13 percent of the total number at all airports in China and ranking 25th among the country's 235 airports.

It is estimated that the number of inbound and outbound passengers at the airport will go beyond 1 million in 2019 and will reach 1.5 million in the next three years.

As the second airport in Jiangsu province to launch outbound flights, Sunan Shuofang currently has five airlines heading to Osaka, Bangkok, Singapore, Nha Trang and Sihanoukville, operating 27 flights a week, along with three airlines departing to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, which conduct 58 flights a week.

Three intercontinental cargo air routes to Hahn in Germany, and Chicago and Cincinnati in the United States were introduced in May 2018.

The rapid development of Sunan Shuofang Airport has benefited greatly from the strong local economy and high demand in the outbound tourism market.

Sunan Shuofang Airport will increase the number of international cities it flies to, such as Nagoya and Malaysia, this year, along with the number of entry ports for goods such as imported fruit to attract more international cargo airlines to settle in Wuxi.

The cargo throughput amounts to 32,400 tons in the first quarter of 2019, a year-on-year increase of 17.3 percent. [Photo/VCG]