Passengers wait for their trains on Jan 26, 2024, at Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The Spring Festival travel rush began on Friday and will last till March 5, 2024. (ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING – The Spring Festival travel rush, or chunyun, that sees the world's largest annual human migration taking place, began on Friday. The 40-day rush period ends on March 5.

This year, a staggering 9 billion passenger trips are expected to take place, establishing a new record.

About 480 million passenger trips are expected to be made via the railway network, 80 million trips by air, and an unprecedented 7.2 billion trips by car, with all the figures being new highs.

The civil aviation industry, which was badly affected by the pandemic, is preparing to handle the record volume of passengers, with a notable increase in the number of international passengers expected.

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"During Spring Festival, the outbound travel market is expected to experience a surge. Popular destinations will include neighboring countries and regions," said Liang Nan, director of the transportation department at the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

With more international trips expected this year, the Spring Festival travel rush marks just the beginning of a potential resurgence in international travel

She added that the implementation of more convenient visa policies have facilitated travel, resulting in more people planning trips abroad.

She said that airlines have applied to add more than 2,500 scheduled and chartered international flights during the holiday period.

In Beijing, over 10,000 outbound flights are expected to be handled during the season.

According to the North China Regional Administration of Civil Aviation Administration of China, 10,253 outbound flights are expected to be managed by two airports in the capital — Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport.

The administration highlighted that this number is significantly more than last year.

China lifted its epidemic control policy in January last year, leading to the gradual recovery of international air travel.

Beijing Capital International Airport, the country's busiest airport, is expected to manage 1.4 million international passenger trips during the travel rush, nearly 20 percent of the airport's total volume, representing a 60 percent increase from last year. 

Beijing Daxing International Airport is also expected to witness an influx of international passengers.

"The number of international passengers had been growing of late, even before the travel rush started," said Wang Qiang, deputy head of the airport's aviation business department.

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He noted that the airport witnessed a daily peak in international passenger trips on Sunday with 12,500 trips, highlighting the expected surge in international trips from the airport during the travel rush.

The airport is expected to handle more than 10,000 international trips every day during the rush period. Overall, the airport is likely to see 5.5 million passenger trips during the time, a substantial increase from the 3.77 million passenger trips handled during last year's Spring Festival.

Staff from Beijing West Railway Station provide services for passengers on Jan 26, 2024. The station has two special waiting rooms designated for those needing special assistance, such as the disabled, expectant moms, and small children. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Wang also said the volume of international trips is expected to double this year, reaching 4 million. Last year, the airport handled 2 million international trips.

The surge in overseas travel is evident, as a college student surnamed Yang recounted her experience as she departed from the capital for Macao on Friday.

She spent 2,500 yuan ($350) on the round-trip between Beijing and Macao and found the ticket price to be reasonable.

"Daxing airport is big and doesn't feel crowded. The instructions are clear, and I can easily figure out what to do," she said, adding that this is the first time she is traveling through this airport. The airport was inaugurated in September, 2019.

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Though the airport was not crowded, Yang said she saw many people carrying luggage and gifts on the subway to the airport. "That tells you the Spring Festival rushhas started," she said.

Immanuel Capistrano from the United Kingdom and Flavia Placenza from Italy noted the increased pressure on the roads en route to the airport.

"The trip usually takes no more than 50 minutes, but today it took an hour," Placenza said. She saw Capistrano off at Daxing airport on Friday, as he left for London.

A young passenger holds a celebratory placard in front of the domestic large passenger aircraft C919 at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on Jan 26, 2024. This is the first time that the C919 is being used during the Spring Festival travel rush. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

At the inquiry counter on the fourth floor at Beijing Daxing — which is dedicated to overseas departures, including to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan — a staff member said she has been seeing more international passengers every day compared to last year.

China's civil aviation sector had been severely impacted by the pandemic, particularly in the international sector. The country aims to support the recovery of international civil aviation this year.

The recent adoption of visa-free policies between China and Singapore, as well as China and Thailand, is expected to further stimulate international travel.

With more international trips expected this year, the Spring Festival travel rush marks just the beginning of a potential resurgence in international travel.