The 2026 Spring Festival travel rush in civil aviation will commence on February 2 and conclude on March 13. According to reports from Hangzhou International Airport, over the course of these 40 days, the airport is expected to serve approximately 5.65 million passengers, averaging 141,000 per day, with passenger volumes potentially reaching an all-time high. The airport plans to operate 35,000 scheduled flights, averaging 881 daily, with an anticipated execution rate surpassing 95%.

Due to the later timing of the Spring Festival in 2026, post-festival student and workforce return flows are expected to be more concentrated, leading to two anticipated peaks in passenger flow - one week before New Year’s Eve and around the seventh day after the Spring Festival begins. During the nine-day Golden Week of Spring Festival, Hangzhou’s airport expects to serve about 1.28 million passengers, with a single-day peak flow possibly exceeding 153,000 passengers.

This year, the popularity of winter tourism destinations in northern regions and warmer locales in the south continues to rise. In response, HIA, alongside major airlines, has increased round-trip frequencies and deployed wide-body aircraft for key routes to hub airports and popular tourist destinations. Statistics show that among the top ten most popular domestic destinations departing from Hangzhou during the Spring Festival travel rush are Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Harbin, Kunming, Changchun, and Sanya. Particularly, the average daily flight frequency between Hangzhou and Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu is expected to exceed 35 flights, with daily bidirectional passenger volumes approaching 10,000.

In terms of international travel, as visa exemptions continue to expand, interest in overseas travel during the Spring Festival period is further heating up. Round-trips between Hangzhou and destinations such as Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur have become top choices for travelers, with flight volumes to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Madrid, and Nha Trang increasing by over 30%.

Beyond smooth travel for passengers, HIA integrates Spring Festival services with cultural experiences, crafting distinctive “Festival plus Tourism” themed activities. Additionally, to address the needs of large crowds and special traveler groups during the Spring Festival travel rush, the airport has launched the “Hangzhou Travel Worry-Free” series of service measures, including setting up “Unaccompanied Service Reception Stations” tailored for elderly, child, disabled, and first-time flyers, offering one-stop guidance services, and dynamically opening additional check-in counters and security lanes during peak hours to ensure a “safe, convenient, and heart-warming” journey for all.