Cross-border passenger traffic tops 100,000 for third consecutive year
2026-10-22 20:10:16
By Yan Wanqin.
Yichang Sanxia International Airport has handled more than 100,000 inbound and outbound passengers for the third year in a row.
Flight HB850 from Hong Kong, carrying 187 passengers, landed at 5:50 pm on October 20. With this flight, the airport's cross-border passenger traffic for the year surpassed 100,000.
"The airport is very clean, and the staff are friendly. We will visit the Three Gorges Tribe Scenic Spot this time," said He Baojuan from Hong Kong. She is a first-time visitor to Yichang and is excited about her trip.
Yichang Sanxia International Airport has handled more than 100,000 inbound and outbound passengers for the third year in a row.
Flight HB850 from Hong Kong, carrying 187 passengers, landed at 5:50 pm on October 20. With this flight, the airport's cross-border passenger traffic for the year surpassed 100,000.
"The airport is very clean, and the staff are friendly. We will visit the Three Gorges Tribe Scenic Spot this time," said He Baojuan from Hong Kong. She is a first-time visitor to Yichang and is excited about her trip.
The 100,000th passenger poses for a photo with border inspection staff at Yichang Sanxia International Airport.More travelers like He are choosing Yichang thanks to China's visa-free policies and the expansion of international air routes.
As of October 20, the airport had handled 734 inbound and outbound flights, according to Li Jia, deputy head of a duty team at the airport's Border Inspection Department. Foreign passenger arrivals exceeded 53,600, including more than 23,000 visa-free entries, up about 26.7 percent from a year earlier.
Thailand, South Korea, and Malaysia ranked as the top three source countries for foreign arrivals. Tourism and business travel accounted for 98 percent of foreign passenger entries. Inbound tourism and cross-border commerce are the main drivers of passenger growth.
Yichang Sanxia International Airport.Since the beginning of this year, the airport has opened or resumed 11 international and regional passenger routes. These connect Yichang with Khabarovsk and Vladivostok in Russia, Incheon and Cheongju in South Korea, Hanoi in Vietnam, Vientiane in Laos, Kuala Lumpur and Kuching in Malaysia, Bangkok in Thailand, Manila in the Philippines, and Hong Kong. An air network covering Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Russia's Far East has begun to take shape.
Wang Ying contributed to this story.
