Major airports in Hainan see surge in passenger flow on New Year's Day

The three major airports in south China's tropical island province of Hainan all saw a surge in passenger flow on Thursday -- the first day of 2026, handling 1,065 arrival and departure flights carrying 169,500 passengers.

The passengers mainly include international travelers, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, overseas Chinese, and locals returning home for family reunions during the three-day New Year holiday season from Thursday to Saturday.

To meet the surging travel demand during the holiday, the airports have ramped up the use of wide-body aircrafts on routes to key source markets and improve flight support services and on-time performance.

Hainan's three major airports are the Haikou Meilan International Airport, the Sanya Phoenix International Airport and the Qionghai Boao International Airport.

Known as the "Hawaii of the East," Hainan boasts beautiful beaches, tropical resorts, and stunning coastal landscapes, making it a popular destination for vacationers and water sports enthusiasts.

The legitimate rights of the Palestinian people must be respected and protected, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

Mao made the remarks in response to a media query about the reports that the Israeli parliament recently adopted a new law introducing death penalty for Palestinians, and countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have expressed strong condemnation, saying such practice is "entrenching a system of apartheid."

"All legislation must conform to legal principles such as the principle of legality, fairness and justice, and must not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, nationality or political view. The legitimate rights of the Palestinian people must be respected and protected. Relevant party’s actions that escalate tensions and exacerbate confrontation must stop," said Mao.