Airline ramps up flights for Hong Kong, Macau as China braces for travel rush

Flag carrier Air China has ramped up its route capacity and services during the Jan. 26 to March 5 travel rush for Spring Festival.

The national carrier plans to operate 67,691 domestic flights during that period, with a daily average of 1,693, representing a 32% increase over 2019 and a 40.6% surge compared to 2023, as cited in a China Daily report.

Capacity has also been enhanced for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as Southeast Asia, with a year-on-year increase of 650% for routes such as Beijing-Phuket and Wuhan-Macau.

In the international and regional markets, a total of 111 routes are planned, averaging 187 flights per day.

Last week, the Macau International Airport (MIA) management announced that during the upcoming Lunar New Year period, the airport is set to witness 13 special charter flights, including seven to mainland Chinese destinations, three to Taipei, and three to Bangkok, Cam Ranh and Phnom Penh.

Moreover, it expects passenger volume and flight movements to increase by more than 20% year-over-year in 2024.

The Macao Government Tourism Office has projected that Macau would see a daily average of 120,000 visitors in the city during the Chinese New Year holidays that start on Feb. 10.

China officially ushered in its largest annual population migration on Friday, 15 days ahead of the Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Year, with record-breaking journey numbers expected.

An estimated nine billion passenger trips are likely to be made during the 2024 travel rush period, according to the country’s transport ministry.

Of the total, 7.2 billion trips or about 80% will be made by self-driving, while 1.8 billion trips will be made via railways, highways, waterways, and civil aviation, the ministry said.