Eight-day holiday season set for?record intl air passenger traffic

China's international air passenger market is expected to maintain rapid growth during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, following a busy summer travel season, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

From July 1 to Aug 31, Chinese and foreign airlines operated 123,000 international passenger flights to and from China, averaging about 2,000 flights per day, according to Xiong Jie, CAAC's chief pilot. In early August, the number peaked at 2,100 flights per day.

The momentum is supported by a series of policy measures, including expanded visa-free entry, tax refund programs, and easier payment and travel services, as well as more efficient immigration and transit procedures at international hub airports, he added.

Popular destinations are expected to include East and Southeast Asian countries, while routes to South Asia and Europe are also likely to see significant growth, Xiong added.

"Multiple travel flows will overlap during the holidays, and civil aviation is expected to see another passenger peak after the summer season," Xiong said.

Air passenger traffic is forecast to reach 19.2 million trips during the eight-day period from Wednesday to Oct 8, up 3.6 percent year-on-year, setting a record high for the same period.

Airlines are expanding services to meet demand. China Southern Airlines will resume direct flights between Beijing Daxing International Airport and Tehran in Iran starting Oct 3. On Oct 16, the carrier will launch a new direct route from Daxing to Doha in Qatar, operated by Airbus A330-300 aircraft three times a week. Flight CZ8059 will depart Beijing at 12:35 am and arrive in Doha at 5:15 am local time, while return flight CZ8060 will leave Doha at 8:30 am and land in Beijing at 9:40 pm.

The new services are expected to further boost trade, cultural exchanges and tourism cooperation between China and the Middle East.