The 40-day 2026 Spring Festival travel period concluded smoothly on March 13. According to preliminary data, since the travel rush began on February 2, Shanghai's two major airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, managed a total of 96,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings. This included 64,000 flights at Pudong Airport and 32,000 flights at Hongqiao Airport, averaging 2,407 flights per day across both facilities, representing a 2.3% increase compared to the previous year's Spring Festival period. The airports also handled 15.738 million passenger arrivals and departures. Pudong Airport accounted for 10.099 million passengers, while Hongqiao Airport handled 5.639 million, with a combined daily average of 394,000 passengers, a 5% year-on-year increase. Both the daily flight volume and passenger throughput at Shanghai's airports reached the highest levels recorded for any Spring Festival travel period.
This year, Pudong Airport achieved a milestone by handling over 10 million passengers during the Spring Festival rush for the first time. This figure included 4.38 million international travelers, with a daily average increase of 6.5% compared to the same period last year. The 2026 travel rush also coincided with the "longest Spring Festival holiday in history," leading to a convergence of various passenger flows including family visits, hometown returns, and tourism. From the fourth to the sixth day of the Lunar New Year (February 20 to February 22), daily passenger traffic at Shanghai's airports reached 425,000, 431,000, and 438,000 respectively, setting new historical records for three consecutive days.
During the travel rush, the two airports optimized and refined service measures across the entire passenger journey. They coordinated "special assistance channels" with subways, maglev trains, and high-speed rail to provide end-to-end priority services for passengers requiring help. At Pudong Airport's T2 domestic departure area, a "single-document clearance" security check was implemented, along with a "one-stop luggage re-inspection" service, allowing passengers to avoid returning to the check-in counter after luggage inspection. Hongqiao Airport introduced facial recognition for domestic boarding. Furthermore, five millimeter-wave security screening channels were set up at both airports, enabling passengers to pass through security quickly without removing outerwear, saving valuable time.
During the return travel peak, Shanghai airports enhanced coordination with subway, bus, and taxi services, flexibly increasing transport capacity based on passenger flow. They also optimized signage and management for ride-hailing pickup points to facilitate efficient departures from the airports. As the travel period drew to a close, the airports successfully completed flight support tasks for the 2026 "Two Sessions" meetings. To support Shanghai's goal of becoming China's primary entry point for international tourism, three one-stop service centers for foreigners at the two airports offered comprehensive, round-the-clock convenience services during the travel rush, covering payments, culture and tourism, communications, and transportation. A foreign language volunteer team composed of young Shanghai airport staff provided multilingual translation, Wi-Fi assistance, and travel guidance for international passengers in the arrival areas.
The two airports also actively promoted the integration of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and exhibitions. Aligned with events like the "New Year Shopping Season" and "Shanghai Global Gourmet Festival," and as part of building the "China Young" airport cultural brand, the terminals were decorated with strong festive themes. Collaborations with the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Shanghai Light Music Orchestra led to interactive passenger activities such as calligraphy blessings and New Year concerts, allowing both domestic and international travelers to experience traditional Chinese culture and the charm of Shanghai. Duty-free shops at the airports launched store-wide discounts, spend-and-save promotions, and New Year-themed sales and markets, making the airports attractive places for entertainment, browsing, and shopping. In early March, Pudong Airport also set up an F1 Chinese Grand Prix-themed exhibition in the arrival areas of both terminals to attract more attention and visitor traffic for Shanghai's "Spring Debut Season" checkered flag carnival.
Comments