Qingdao Airport operates a total of 38,200 flights and serves 5.52 million passengers during the summer travel season from July 1 to Aug 31. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

During the summer travel season from July 1 to Aug 31, Qingdao Airport operated a total of 38,200 flights and served 5.52 million passengers, year-on-year increases of 14 percent and 21 percent, respectively, according to official data.

The daily average passenger throughput at the airport was around 89,000 people, reaching a peak of 98,000. Key indicators such as flight take-offs and landings and passenger volume both hit record highs.

During the summer travel season, eight additional domestic routes were opened that were not available during the same period last year, including flights to Huizhou and Turpan. Internationally, new routes to Kuala Lumpur and Jeju were introduced, with passenger volumes on Osaka and Tokyo routes more than doubling. The Seoul express flight volume remained the highest in the country, enhancing the airport’s role as a gateway hub to Japan and South Korea.

According to data from the border inspection station at Qingdao Airport, over 540,000 inbound and outbound passengers passed through the airport during the summer travel season. The number of foreign nationals entering and leaving exceeded 110,000, a 44.73 percent increase from the same period last year, with over 54,000 inbound passengers.