On June 20, marking the six-month milestone of Hainan island-wide special customs operation, Haikou Meilan International Airport, under Hainan Holdings, officially launched the free trade port's first intercontinental air service to Spain: the Haikou-Chongqing-Madrid route. The new air corridor connects Hainan with Southern Europe and covers the whole European continent, boosting cultural exchanges, tourism links and economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe, and supporting the Hainan Free Trade Port in advancing high-standard opening-up.

Operated by Hainan Airlines, the service runs every Saturday with Boeing 787 wide-body jets.

Outbound flight HU7971 departs from Haikou at 21:10 Beijing Time; makes a stopover at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport at 23:25; departs from Chongqing at 02:25 the next day; and arrives at Madrid Barajas Airport at 09:00 local time. Return flight HU7972 takes off from Madrid at 11:05 local time every Sunday; stops over in Chongqing at 05:00 Beijing Time the following day; departs Chongqing at 07:50; and lands in Haikou at 10:00. Flight schedules are subject to official updates released by the airline. 

Since the start of 2026, Meilan Airport has continuously optimized its international route network. New passenger and cargo air links have been rolled out, including Frankfurt-Bangkok-Haikou, Ho Chi Minh-Haikou, Haikou-Kuala Lumpur and the newly launched Haikou-Chongqing-Madrid service. The airport has also increased flight frequencies on popular routes connecting Haikou with Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Moving forward, Meilan Airport will accelerate the expansion of intercontinental destinations across Europe, South Asia, Central Asia and beyond. The airport aims to transform Hainan from a well-known tourist destination into a key gateway facilitating international personnel exchanges and cross-border commercial flows.