The flight plan for the 2024 winter and spring season will be implemented from October 27

According to information obtained from the Civil Aviation Administration, the national civil aviation sector will begin implementing the flight plan for the 2024/25 winter-spring season from October 27, 2024, to March 29, 2025. Preparation for the seasonal flight changes is already complete. A total of 194 domestic and international airlines are set to operate 118,000 passenger and cargo flights weekly, representing a 1.2% increase compared to the same period last year, with a further orderly recovery of international routes.

Looking at the overall flight plan, civil aviation transport production for the new season shows a stable and positive trend, suggesting a strong start.

For domestic flight routes, 49 airlines plan to schedule 95,968 domestic flights (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) each week, which is roughly in line with last year but shows a 33% increase from the 2019/20 winter-spring season. This includes 93,570 passenger flights and 2,398 cargo flights weekly. Additionally, 37 airlines will operate a total of 6,102 flights on 654 newly launched domestic routes, marking a 26.7% increase in the number of new direct routes. This expansion particularly focuses on connecting tourism destinations, such as Xiangxi, Aksu, Hotan, Hami, and Kashgar, with major hub airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenzhen.

In terms of flights to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, 34 airlines have received approval for a total of 3,124 weekly passenger and cargo flights. Of these, 24 airlines from the mainland will operate 1,668 flights per week, while 10 airlines from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan will carry out 1,456 flights. For routes to Hong Kong, 26 airlines have been approved for 1,734 flights weekly between 44 mainland destinations and Hong Kong. Similarly, 10 airlines have been approved for 648 passenger flights each week between 26 mainland points and Macau. Regarding cross-strait flights, 21 airlines will operate 742 routes weekly between 18 points in the mainland and four destinations in Taiwan.

On the international front, a total of 178 domestic and foreign airlines have received approval for 19,327 weekly passenger and cargo flights, covering 79 foreign countries, including 57 countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. This represents 10,326 weekly flights, or 53.48% of the total. Among them, 127 airlines have been authorized for 13,987 weekly passenger flights to 73 countries, while 71 airlines have received approval for 5,340 weekly cargo flights to 52 countries.