The Hangzhou International Airport. [Photo/IC]

With the official start of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush on Jan 26, Hangzhou International Airport is gearing up for increased passenger traffic.

The airport anticipates 5.25 million passengers, reflecting a 44-percent year-on-year growth, and plans to operate 34,000 flights, a 19-percent year-on-year growth.

"On the first day of the Spring Festival travel rush, the airport expects to serve 125,000 passengers with 885 planned flights. The week leading up to the festival will witness the first peak in passenger flow. After the second day of the Spring Festival, the airport anticipates a surge in family visits and tourism, with the peak passenger flow expected to last for about a week," said an official from the airport.

Regarding domestic travel, with the popularity of destinations like Harbin, Northeast China tours remain in high demand. The airport is responding by increasing the frequency of flights to cities such as Shenyang, Harbin, and Changchun. For international travel, due to the optimization of China's visa policies, enhanced customs facilitation, and the extended Spring Festival holiday, a four-fold increase in inbound and outbound travelers is expected compared to the same period last year. In response, the airport plans to introduce charter flights to tourist destinations such as the Maldives, Fiji, and Boracay, while also increasing the frequency of popular passenger routes to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Seoul, and Bangkok.

With the official opening of the T4 International Transit Hall yesterday, transit passengers can now streamline their transit procedures, including confirmation, customs, and security checks, reducing clearance time from two hours to just 20 minutes.

Additionally, passengers taking international connecting flights can now complete check-in and baggage procedures at their departure airport and retrieve all checked baggage at their final destination.

A plane decorated for the Hangzhou Asian Games lands at Hangzhou International Airport on June 15, 2020. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]