China’s civil aviation industry is preparing for unprecedented passenger volumes during the upcoming Spring Festival travel period, with officials projecting approximately 95 million air trips throughout the 40-day chunyun season. The travel rush, scheduled from February 2 to March 13, represents a 5.3% increase compared to previous years, averaging 2.38 million daily passenger journeys.
The Spring Festival migration, recognized as the world’s largest annual human movement, demonstrates the cultural significance of family reunions and holiday traditions in Chinese society. This year’s extended nine-day public holiday from February 15-23, with the actual festival falling on February 17, is expected to create concentrated passenger flows as students and migrant workers coordinate their travel schedules around the extended break.
Wang Weijun, Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s Transport Department, emphasized that traditional family reunion travel combined with robust tourism demand will drive unprecedented aviation activity. “The combination of traditional travel for family reunions, student travel and strong holiday tourism demand is expected to further release aviation travel potential during the Spring Festival period,” Wang stated at a Beijing news conference.
The aviation sector has coordinated approximately 780,000 scheduled flights throughout the travel period, representing a 5% year-over-year capacity increase averaging 19,400 daily flights. Peak travel is anticipated both before and after the main holiday, with post-festival return travel expected to be particularly congested. Single-day passenger volumes could reach 2.6 million during the highest demand periods.
Concurrently, the CAAC has implemented enhanced safety protocols for unmanned aircraft operations. Chen Ye, Deputy Director of the Aircraft Airworthiness Department, outlined new standards requiring real-name registration, activation procedures, and operational identification for all civil drones. These measures establish technical systems to ensure traceability and monitoring capabilities throughout drone operations, addressing public safety concerns while supporting the development of China’s low-altitude aviation sector.