China Railway Moves 121 Million Passengers During Spring Festival

During the recent nine-day Spring Festival holiday, which ran from February 15 to 23, China's railways reported a remarkable transportation volume of 121 million passengers. This figure represents an impressive increase of 11.5 percent compared to the same festive period last year, as noted by the Xinhua News Agency, drawing on data provided by the China State Railway Group Co.

Notably, on February 23, the final day of this travel season, a record-breaking 18.733 million passengers were transported in a single day, underscoring the robust demand for rail travel during the festive season.

The significant rise in passenger numbers can be attributed to various factors, including individuals returning to their hometowns, travel undertaken for work commitments, and a surge in tourism activities, all contributing to the sustained high levels of passenger traffic.

In terms of cross-border travel, national border inspection authorities reported that there were 17.796 million trips made by Chinese and foreign nationals during the Spring Festival holiday, averaging approximately 1.977 million daily trips. This reflects a 10.1 percent increase over the daily averages recorded during the previous year's holiday.

The travel demand extended beyond railways. Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China indicated that the civil aviation sector transported a total of 22.05 million passengers during the Spring Festival holiday, averaging 2.45 million passengers per day. This signifies a 7.7 percent increase in daily averages relative to the prior year's travel season.

An impressive total of 171,000 flights were operated during this nine-day period, with an average of 18,956 flights per day, showing a 4.4 percent year-on-year increase from the daily average of 18,154 flights during the same time frame last year.

China Eastern Airlines notably served over 4.33 million passengers, averaging more than 481,000 travelers each day, which is a year-on-year growth of 6.5 percent. The airline executed 28,500 flights, yielding an average of over 3,169 flights daily, which marks a 2.2 percent increase year on year.

The height of passenger travel activity was witnessed on February 22, with China Eastern Airlines operating 3,287 flights and transporting 526,000 passengers, thereby achieving a new all-time high for single-day passenger volume for the airline.

As travelers sought winter experiences, domestic routes focused on 'ice and snow tourism' to destinations like Harbin, Changchun, Changbai Mountain, and Altay were primarily favored. Additionally, warmer destinations such as Sanya, Haikou, and Kunming witnessed a significant influx of visitors.

On the international front, the busiest routes included Shanghai Pudong to Barcelona, Shanghai Pudong to Toronto, and routes from Taiyuan to Kunming to Bangkok, as well as connections from Shanghai Pudong to Vancouver and St. Petersburg, reflecting strong international travel trends.