Central China's Hubei province is seeing a sharp uptick in international arrivals, as expanded air links buoyed by faster border processing draw a fresh wave of travelers from abroad.
Since March 29, airports across the province have added 13 new international and regional routes, bringing the total to 96 routes linking 28 countries and regions, according to the Hubei General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.
Yichang Sanxia International Airport has opened four new routes since March 29, traveling to Hanoi in Vietnam, Vientiane in Laos, Incheon in South Korea, and Kuching in Malaysia.
According to border officials, the airport now handles an average of more than 26 international flights per week, up 8.3 percent year-on-year. To cope with the surge, authorities have redeployed officers from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, to support operations at the Yichang airport.
By Sunday, the airport had handled more than 32,000 inbound and outbound passengers this year, including around 15,000 foreign nationals. Most foreign visitors arrived for tourism, local authorities said.
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport has also stepped up connectivity, resuming routes to Vientiane, Laos, and Jakarta, Indonesia between April 10 and 12. By April 16, border inspection authorities in Wuhan had processed more than 443,000 inbound and outbound passengers, including over 78,000 foreign nationals, up 12.2 percent year-on-year.
To manage growing passenger flows, Wuhan border officials have introduced flexible staffing arrangements and mutual support mechanisms, alongside upgraded smart inspection systems and expanded self-service clearance channels to improve efficiency.
Cargo operations are also gaining momentum. Ezhou Huahu International Airport opened new freight routes to Paris and Italy in April. As a national pilot for smart port development, the airport has launched the country's first one-stop joint inspection channel, significantly speeding up clearance for flight crews and supporting the rapid growth of cargo traffic.