Helicopter tour demand takes off during Spring Festival

Helicopter tours are taking off across the Yangtze River Delta during the nine-day Spring Festival holiday starting from Feb 15, offering faster travel and a glimpse into China's growing low-altitude economy.

What looks like a cinematic journey is becoming a new form of holiday travel. While most of these services are still in trial operation, the trend highlights the burgeoning potential of China's low-altitude economy.

A helicopter from Shanghai Newsky Helicopter Company was seen lifting off over Shanghai's skyline, flying past Pudong, the coastline, and out over the open sea.

"We take off from Fuxing Island in Shanghai's Yangpu District to Shengsi Islands, on a flight of about 30 minutes. From the air, you can see the Pudong New Area, and then we will pass over the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Donghai Bridge," said Xu Jianjun, the captain.

For passengers, it's not just about the view, it's about travel time. Routes that once took hours by road and ferry can now be completed in around half an hour by air. Flight bookings are available via a WeChat mini program, with prices ranging from 600 yuan (about 94 U.S. dollars) to 2500 yuan (about 362 U.S. dollars).

During the Spring Festival travel rush, demand for air transport is rising, as more travelers choose speed, flexibility, and efficiency.

"Spring Festival demand has surged. Bookings are about 1.5 times higher than usual," said Li Xin, manager of the flight department of Shanghai Newsky Helicopter Company.

Passengers can reserve flights in advance via the mini-program, Li added.

Such kind of air taxis are becoming part of a broader transport system across the Yangtze River Delta and creating new options for regional mobility.

Low-altitude routes ease peak-hour pressure and meet demand for better travel options, said Xu Shengnan, chief of the Traffic Support Section of Chongchuan District, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, adding that new measures will be introduced to make low-altitude travel become a new normal in regional transport.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), China's low-altitude economy is projected to reach 3.5 trillion yuan (around 506.6 billion U.S. dollars) by 2035. The Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area are China's two most active regions for low-altitude helicopter routes, and the growth is accelerating.

Helicopter tour demand takes off during Spring Festival

Commemorations honoring Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs were held on the banks of the Yalu River in Dandong, Liaoning Province on Tuesday as part of ongoing tributes to those who fought in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).

The event was held to mark the return of the remains of 12 CPV martyrs, who were killed in the war, from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Wednesday.

This will be the 13th such repatriation of CPV remains following the handover agreement between the two countries. Since 2014, the remains of 1,011 soldiers have been returned to China from the ROK, according to China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

More than 170 representatives, including veteran CPV soldiers, relatives of the martyrs, active-duty personnel, students, and other from various sectors of society, attended the event.

People boarded a ferry which slowly sailed down the Yalu River. Inside the cabin, all present stood in solemn silence as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China was played, and observed a moment of silence in honor of the CPV martyrs.

Then, they walked to the ship's railings one by one and scattered flower petals into the river to pay tribute to the martyrs.

"We, the CPV, went abroad to fight to defend our motherland, the people, and our good life and to resist U.S. imperialist aggression against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). I hope that our young comrades and students today will study hard and make contributions to our motherland," said Hu Changzhe, a CPV veteran.

"I feel deeply moved as these veteran soldiers are heroes who once fought for our country. Now, standing by the Yalu River, looking back on their past and remembering their comrades, they must be deeply touched," said Hong Jialu, a student at a branch of Liaoning Province Shiyan High School.

At the event, 10 student representatives from primary and middle schools read aloud a letter to express their reverence and remembrance for the heroic martyrs through their sincere words and heartfelt recitation.

The Korean War broke out in June 1950, eight months after the People's Republic of China was founded. At the request of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), China sent 2.9 million CPV soldiers to assist the DPRK during the war, of whom more than 360,000 were killed or injured.

Commemorations held to pay tribute to CPV heroes in northeast China