Sanxia Airport reaches record 100,000 international passengers
2025-10-09 19:10:38
By Hu Yikai.
Yichang Sanxia International Airport reached a new milestone on October 3, 2025, with its international passenger throughput surpassing 100,000, a 27.3 percent increase year-on-year.
This record was achieved 70 days earlier than the previous year, marking the fastest growth since the airport was designated an international port.
Data from the Sanxia Airport immigration checkpoint shows that in 2025, over 59,000 inbound and outbound foreign nationals accounted for 59 percent of the total international passengers, with a year-on-year increase of 30.1 percent. Travelers from Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea topped the list, with sightseeing, family visits, and business as the main reasons for travel.
In March 2025, the airport launched its international air cargo business, which complements the passenger routes and provides an efficient channel for "Yichang-made" products to reach global markets, further boosting the port’s economic vitality.
The airport has continued to expand its international and regional route network. Based on the steady operation of flights to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Singapore, and Hong Kong during the summer-autumn season, the Yichang–Seoul route resumed in September. Sanxia Airport now serves six international and regional destinations, strengthening its connectivity across Southeast and Northeast Asia.
Looking ahead, Sanxia Airport plans to deepen cooperation with domestic and international airlines, stabilize capacity in the Southeast Asian market, and open more overseas routes as it works to become a regional aviation hub and tourism gateway.
Photos by Zhong Pengyu.
Zhang Na and Li Linsen also contributed to this sory.
Planes line up at Yichang Sanxia International Airport.
Yichang Sanxia International Airport reached a new milestone on October 3, 2025, with its international passenger throughput surpassing 100,000, a 27.3 percent increase year-on-year.
This record was achieved 70 days earlier than the previous year, marking the fastest growth since the airport was designated an international port.
A Thai traveler is recognized as the 100,000th international passenger of 2025.
Data from the Sanxia Airport immigration checkpoint shows that in 2025, over 59,000 inbound and outbound foreign nationals accounted for 59 percent of the total international passengers, with a year-on-year increase of 30.1 percent. Travelers from Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea topped the list, with sightseeing, family visits, and business as the main reasons for travel.
Passengers queue at the China Immigration checkpoint.
In March 2025, the airport launched its international air cargo business, which complements the passenger routes and provides an efficient channel for "Yichang-made" products to reach global markets, further boosting the port’s economic vitality.
The airport has continued to expand its international and regional route network. Based on the steady operation of flights to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Singapore, and Hong Kong during the summer-autumn season, the Yichang–Seoul route resumed in September. Sanxia Airport now serves six international and regional destinations, strengthening its connectivity across Southeast and Northeast Asia.
Looking ahead, Sanxia Airport plans to deepen cooperation with domestic and international airlines, stabilize capacity in the Southeast Asian market, and open more overseas routes as it works to become a regional aviation hub and tourism gateway.
Photos by Zhong Pengyu.
Zhang Na and Li Linsen also contributed to this sory.
