China is set to enhance its international air travel capabilities in response to a surge in tourism demand, with a new aviation schedule beginning October 25, 2026, and running through March 27, 2027. This schedule will see the operation of 16,654 international passenger flights weekly, connecting China to 84 countries, as announced by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Significant increases in flight frequencies have been noted across regions such as Central Asia, South Asia, North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Notably, there is a more than 40% rise in services between China and 17 countries, including India, Kazakhstan, Canada, and Belgium, compared to the previous year. Additionally, China’s aviation network will expand with new services to Iceland, Madagascar, and Jordan, adding eight new destinations to the roster.
The expansion comes amid a growing appetite for travel to and from China, with services to major inbound tourism markets like Singapore and Malaysia increasing by 14.4% year-on-year. Major airlines are responding to this demand by introducing new international routes and boosting frequencies on existing ones. Air China, for instance, is launching routes from Beijing to Reykjavik via Copenhagen, as well as to Bali and Hanoi. Meanwhile, China Southern Airlines is ramping up services to Jeju Island and Langkawi and increasing flights to Australia and New Zealand.
Beijing’s airports are also scaling up operations to accommodate this growth. Beijing Capital International Airport plans to handle an average of 252 international and regional passenger flights daily during the new season. Similarly, Beijing Daxing International Airport is set to serve 44 international and regional destinations.
Domestically, the aviation sector is also seeing expansion, with 288 new routes being introduced to connect smaller cities and regional destinations with major economic hubs. This includes popular winter tourism spots such as Yanji in Jilin province and Altay in Xinjiang, where flight bookings are on the rise.
Overall, 216 Chinese and international airlines are set to operate approximately 116,000 passenger and cargo flights weekly during this winter-spring season. This strategic expansion aligns with China’s biannual airline schedule revisions, aimed at optimizing flight operations and enhancing both domestic and international connectivity to support tourism, business travel, and international exchanges.