Starting from March 29, the national civil aviation industry has begun implementing new schedules for the summer season. In the new season, the domestic route network structure continues to be optimized, with increasingly seamless connectivity between trunk and regional routes. International flights have seen a threefold breakthrough — network expansion, frequency increases, and broader market reach — with flight volume rising 1.8% compared with the same period last year.
Data show that a total of 222 domestic and international airlines plan to operate 121,000 passenger and cargo flights per week during the new season, roughly the same as the same period last year. Among them, 61 airlines plan to operate 97,428 domestic passenger flights and 2,538 cargo flights per week. Of these, 34 airlines plan to launch 434 new domestic routes, connecting 186 cities. The new routes are concentrated on routes linking trunk and regional airports, mainly connecting regions such as Xinjiang, the Northwest, Northeast, and Southwest with East China and Central and South China. Regional airports represented by Hotan, Tacheng, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Mudanjiang, Jiamusi, Lijiang, and Xingyi will see closer air links with aviation hubs including Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Changsha.
In terms of international markets, flight volumes continue to grow steadily in the new season, with 191 airlines planning to operate 21,047 international flights per week, a 1.8% increase compared with the same period last year. These flights cover 86 countries, with Cyprus being the newly added destination. Among these, passenger flights will be operated to 83 countries, with 15,863 weekly flights, up 1.2% from the same period last year, while cargo flights will serve 55 countries, with 5,184 weekly flights, an increase of 3.7% compared with the same period last year.
