As one of the peak periods for air travel demand each year, numerous airlines have increased flight frequencies on popular routes for the 2026 summer travel season to meet passenger needs.
To cater to summer tourism and travel for cooler climates, several carriers have focused on launching and adding flights to popular tourist cities in regions like Xinjiang, Northeast China, Northwest China, and Southwest China.
Centered around hub airports such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, new and enhanced summer-specific tourist routes have been introduced.
China Southern Airlines Beijing Branch's Deputy Manager of Operations Command, Han Weidong, stated that during the summer travel period, the airline expects over 370 flights to operate at Beijing Daxing International Airport.
Domestically, 21 routes have been increased, covering popular domestic tourist destinations.
A new route from Hotan to Hailar has been launched, and flights from Daxing to Aksu, Baishan, and Mangshi have resumed.
Furthermore, the continuous addition of new international routes is injecting fresh momentum into the summer international passenger market.
On July 2, Air China inaugurated its Beijing-Venice route, and Beijing Capital Airlines recently officially launched its first direct passenger flight from Beijing Daxing to Lisbon, Portugal.
Mu Yang, Deputy Director of the Development and Planning Department at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, noted that currently, Chinese and foreign airlines operate international passenger routes connecting to 177 cities across 80 countries on five continents, with over 1,000 scheduled international routes covering 125 cities in 60 Belt and Road Initiative partner countries.
While traditional markets like Europe maintain high growth rates, emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America are growing even faster, with an overall increase of 27.6%.
Beyond increased flight options, airfares this summer are notably affordable, with tickets for some popular routes in early July even cheaper than high-speed rail tickets.
Data from travel analytics platforms show that as of July 3, domestic flight bookings for July exceeded 22.1 million, and international flight bookings surpassed 5.59 million, a year-on-year increase of approximately 3%.
While travel demand is rising steadily, airfare prices are stable or slightly lower compared to 2025.
Data from multiple online travel booking platforms indicates that the average booking price for domestic flights departing between July 6 and 12, excluding taxes and fees, is about 20% lower year-on-year.
As of now, many tickets for mid-to-early July are still available for under 300 CNY for the base fare.
For example, direct flights from Beijing to Anshan, Nanchang, and Taiyuan, or from Shanghai to Wenzhou, Xiamen, and Guangzhou, have prices lower than high-speed rail tickets for the same period.
Shi Ke, a researcher at Qunar's Big Data Research Institute, stated that for the entire summer travel period, the first week of July and the last week of August represent the best window for finding low fares.
It is expected that the peak of the 2026 summer travel season will shift later overall, characterized by a "later start but stronger momentum."
Demand during the traditional peak period from late July to mid-August continues to climb, and airfares during this time are expected to be relatively higher.
In addition to affordable airfares, many travelers this summer are turning their attention to "hidden gem" small cities ideal for escaping the heat, quietly reshaping the travel market landscape.
Small cities offering mountain and forest retreats have seen significant increases in booking popularity.
Yichun in Heilongjiang province has emerged as a "dark horse" due to its exceptional forest coverage.
Hotel bookings near the Changbai Mountain resort area in Jilin have increased by 1.3 times.
Hotel bookings near Sayram Lake in Bortala, Xinjiang, have propelled that commercial area into the national top 20 for popularity.
Furthermore, destinations centered around water resources are performing well.
Thanks to attractions like Huangguoshu Waterfall and Doupotang Waterfall, flight bookings to Anshun, Guizhou, have increased by over 20% for the summer.
Shi Ke explained that new routes launched for the 2026 summer season have made smaller airports and cities known for their cool climates and scenic beauty more popular.
Driven by these new routes, airfares to Xinjiang for the 2026 summer holiday are very affordable.
In early July, direct flights from Beijing to Altay, including taxes and fees, were priced below 800 CNY.
Additionally, the popularity of routes like the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop, in-depth tours of Yunnan, and the Guizhou Loop continues to rise.
Northern coastal cities known for being cool, seaside, and offering good value are also entering their peak season.
As travel demand surges, air travel services are also being upgraded this summer.
With the "threshold" for inter-airline ticket reissuance further lowered, more passengers can enjoy the convenience akin to "public transport" air travel.
At Nanjing Lukou International Airport's terminal, the dedicated check-in counters for the "Ning-Shen Express" service are already seeing many passengers.
The Nanjing-Shenzhen route, as a high-frequency business corridor, has approximately 23 outbound flights daily and a large passenger base.
To facilitate passenger reissuance, Nanjing Lukou International Airport, in collaboration with Shenzhen Airport and four airlines—China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and Juneyao Air—has officially launched the "Ning-Shen Smooth Travel" voluntary inter-airline reissuance service starting this summer, first piloted on the Nanjing-Shenzhen "air shuttle" route.
Lin Yi, Deputy General Manager of China Eastern Airlines Jiangsu Company, highlighted that the key feature is its near "zero-threshold" inclusive nature, as previous airline reissuance services were mainly value-added offerings for passengers with higher-priced tickets.
This new service covers all cabin classes; as long as the ticket is not a special type like a complimentary ticket, all passengers who purchased standard tickets can enjoy the "Ning-Shen Smooth Travel" service.
Airport staff indicated that the first reissuance is free of change fees, with fare adjustments following the principle of "paying the difference for higher fares, retaining the original price for lower fares."
If the new flight's fare is higher, only the difference needs to be paid; if lower, no refund is issued and no fee is charged.
Passengers only need to apply 90 minutes before the original flight's scheduled departure time on the same day to freely adjust their itinerary to another flight on the same route within a four-hour window before or after.
Currently, Nanjing Airport has set up dedicated service counters both inside and outside the security check areas in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, allowing passengers to process requests conveniently regardless of whether they have cleared security, eliminating the need for extra travel.
It is understood that inter-airline reissuance services have previously been piloted on routes like Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Shenzhen, typically available only for full-fare or tickets priced at 60% or higher of the full fare, excluding many ordinary passengers who purchase discounted tickets.
This service upgrade now allows more passengers to enjoy the convenience of inter-airline reissuance.
It is expected that starting July 15, the Hangzhou-Shenzhen express route will also complete a comprehensive upgrade, implementing the new "near zero-threshold" reissuance policy.
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