Passenger flow climbs at Hainan's airports

The passenger throughput in April for airports in Hainan province totaled about 2.15 million visits, with more than an eleven-fold annual growth and 14,565 flights taking off and landing, up 508 percent year-on-year, according to Hainan Airport Group data released on Monday.

During the May Day holiday, the three major airports on Hainan Island — Haikou Meilan International Airport, Sanya Phoenix International Airport and Qionghai Boao Airport — completed 4,458 flights (up 22 percent) and received 704,000 passengers (up 26 percent) over the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group is ramping up efforts to resume and expand its route network.

To date, the three main airports have resumed 251 domestic routes, connecting with 185 major cities across the country. The airports have also resumed and opened 11 overseas passenger routes.

As China has fully restored fast-lane entry and exit services at all ports starting on Monday, Hainan airports are expecting to receive more foreign passengers.

To guarantee the high-quality development of Hainan's export-oriented economy, Haikou Meilan International Airport has resumed and opened three international cargo routes — Haikou to Incheon, South Korea; Haikou to Singapore via Hong Kong; and Haikou to Paris, France.

As of Sunday, a total of 166 inbound and outbound international cargo flights have been completed this year, with a cargo volume of 2,165 tons, an increase of 77 percent over last year.

"We will strive to become an aviation gateway hub facing the Pacific and Indian Oceans," an airport representative said.