A Look At China’s Busiest Airports In Q1

As the country of 1.41 billion thaws from a long COVID-19 freeze, aviation is in overdrive as the economic powerhouse reconnects to the world. With airlines increasing capacity, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) has placed itself at the top with 10.1 million seats scheduled between January and March this year.

Photo: lazy dragon/Shutterstock

Let’s look at the numbers.

Combined, the top fifteen airports have over a mind-boggling 100 million scheduled seats for the quarter. Let’s break down the airports ranked as calculated by Cirium for Q1 2023:

1. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) – 10.1 million seats scheduled
2. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) – 8.2 million seats scheduled
3. Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport (SZX) – 8.1 million seats scheduled
4. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) – 8 million seats scheduled
5. Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) – 7 million seats scheduled
6. Kunming Changshui International Airport – 7 million seats scheduled
7. Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) – 6.8 million seats scheduled
8. Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) – 6.8 million seats scheduled
9. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) – 6.7 million seats scheduled
10. Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) – 6.3 million seats scheduled
11. Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) – 6.1 million seats scheduled
12. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) – 5.3 million seats scheduled
13. Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) – 4.9 million seats scheduled
14. Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG) – 4.7 million seats scheduled
15. Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH) – 4.6 million seats scheduled

Two airports in Beijing

Two airports now directly service Beijing’s population, Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) and Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), placing them in second and seventh place, respectively. Combined, the two airports power far ahead of China Southern’s hub at Guangzhou with 15.1 million seats in total.

Photo: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock

Lunar New Year a welcome boost

With the Lunar New Year in full swing has provided a welcome boost to airlines across China. Post-pandemic China Eastern (MU) is carrying more than 200,000 passengers daily, operating an average of nearly 3,000 daily flights between January 8 and February 25. From January 8 to the end of the month, the Shanghai-based carrier has internationally scheduled 400 international flights across 43 destinations, a 220% increase year-on-year.

Photo: Muhammad Irfan Ibrahim | Shutterstock

International capacity increasing

With Chinese travel booming, both local and international carriers relish the increased demand for international travel. Lion Air recently relaunched its route from Shenzhen to Bali, a first for the Indonesian tourist hotspot, with its first connection to China post-pandemic.

Air New Zealand also announced an increase to four direct flights daily from Auckland to Shanghai. The kiwi airline will now offer 1,200 seats a week between the two nations. The carrier also has operated cargo flights to the Chinese mainland throughout the pandemic, ramping up even more services ahead of the Lunar New Year to transport fresh seafood and Central Otago cherries for the celebration.

“” data-img-url=”https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/air_new_zealand_-zk-nzr-_boeing_787-9_dreamliner_at_sydney_airport_-5.jpg” data-modal-container-id=”single-image-modal-container” data-modal-id=”single-image-modal”>

China well connected in 2023.

As Chinese travelers are reported to contribute over $253 billion to the global economy, Chinese airlines are launching a foray of new routes, have a look at the latest connections here.

Sources: Cirium