The potential of the Chinese aviation market remains vast as China's economic growth and opening-up encourage inbound travel for both business and pleasure, according to aviation experts.
The latest data shows that the number of inbound and outbound international passenger flights to and from China has recovered to 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels as global airlines continue to resume and increase routes to meet rising demand.
In terms of scale, China's civil aviation transportation has ranked second in the world for 19 consecutive years.
Experts attributed the country's booming aviation market to its policy dividends. China has enjoyed comprehensive mutual visa exemption with 24 countries, offered visa-free entry policies for 16 countries, and extended 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit policy to 54 countries. The visa-free policy and relevant measures have significantly boosted inbound tourism.
"In recent years, China has been enlarging its visa-free 'circle of friends' and implementing a series of policies to facilitate entry and exit, stimulating a growing desire among international travelers to visit China. With the expansion of China's economy and the improvement of people's living standards, the demands for international travel and business exchanges will continue to increase," said Liu Yue, Chief Economist of the International Office of Air Transport Research Institute under China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology.
Liu added that demand for outbound travel in China will also continue to strengthen with the improvement of people's living standards.
Other experts stress that increasingly convenient traveling policies and the improved air-route network will further attract international visitors to China.
"The resumption of international flights to China is closely tied to the country's high-level opening up and high-quality international exchanges. In the future, as global confidence in China's economic development grows and international engagement deepens, China's aviation market will become increasingly attractive to foreign airlines," said Qi Qi, a researcher at the High-quality Development Research Center under the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Huge potential of China's aviation market attracts int'l airlines
Huge potential of China's aviation market attracts int'l airlines
