[Photo/IC]

Shanghai's two airports reported a robust recovery in 2023, with daily flights more than doubling and passenger trips more than tripling from the year before, according to newly released official statistics.

A total of 700,000 aircraft landed or took off at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport throughout the year, averaging 1,919 flights per day, a remarkable surge of 114 percent year-on-year, the Shanghai Airport Authority said on Jan 2.

The two airports handled an impressive 96.75 million passenger trips in 2023, or 270,000 daily passenger trips, an extraordinary year-on-year increase of 235 percent.

Additionally, cargo throughput at both airports rose 15 percent year-on-year to 3.8 million metric tons, the Shanghai Airport Authority added.

International passenger flights revived

The resumption of international passenger flights commenced gradually in early 2023, following the lifting of pandemic-related control measures by the government.

On Jan 13, 2023, Turkish Airlines flight TK026 marked a milestone as the first international passenger flight operated by a foreign airline to resume operations at the Pudong airport.

Subsequently, on March 26, China Eastern flight MU721 became the inaugural overseas flight to resume operations at the Hongqiao Airport, flying to Hong Kong.

In 2023, a total of 101 airlines with regular flights operated at the two airports, connecting 278 destinations in 47 countries and regions worldwide, including 175 domestic destinations and 103 international destinations, reaching 102 percent and 73 percent of the 2019 levels, respectively.

Flight frequencies to over 20 international destinations, including London, Rome, Abu Dhabi, and Sydney, have returned to the 2019 levels.

International cargo transportation enhanced

Last year witnessed a significant reduction in cargo clearance time at the Pudong airport, taking less than 45 hours, down from nearly 66 hours, thanks in part to the launch of AviPort in September.

AviPort is a public information platform for air logistics in Shanghai, integrating information throughout the entire air cargo supply chain, from the airport to Customs and freight stations. It digitalizes and visualizes inbound and outbound cargo processes.

The intelligent cargo station project in the western cargo area of the Pudong airport topped out its main structure ahead of schedule at the end of October 2023. Upon completion, it can handle over 1 million tons of inbound and outbound cargo annually.

Source: shobserver.com