On December 6—according to Sanya Phoenix International Airport—with 126,000 takeoffs and landings of passenger, cargo, and mail flights, this year’s cumulative annual passenger throughput had already surged past previous high records to 20.19 million persons.

Since the beginning of this year, travel has been on the rise. Driving the growth in air passenger volume, Sanya's tourism market has not so much been "hot" as it has been "on fire." On January 27 (during the "Chunyun" Chinese New Year travel period), Sanya Phoenix International Airport set a historical single-day record with 85,002 passengers. In July, a summer travel record was broken, with just under 1.8 million passengers taking 11,315 flights.

(Photo: Hainan Daily)

With a focus on increasing flights to major cities (like Beijing, Chengdu, and Chongqing), these results are primarily due to Sanya's continuous optimization of its air route network. At the same time, nine international and regional routes (covering Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Central Asia, and other key source areas for international tourists) have resumed operations. Going between Phnom Penh, Sanya, and Singapore, Phoenix Airport also opened—on December 1—Hainan Province's first regularly scheduled passenger route with fifth-freedom rights (meaning the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State to put down and to take on, in the territory of the first State, traffic coming from or destined to a third State).

On July 1, to improve airport operation efficiency, Hainan Island's first special customs operation project (the Sanya Phoenix International Airport International Terminal) was completed and put into operation; and—on November 20— with over 2.9 billion yuan (about $410 million) in investment, the Sanya Phoenix International Airport Phase III reconstruction and expansion project began. It is expected to be finished by late 2025. After completion, the airport will be able to handle 30 million passengers per year.

Sanya Phoenix International Airport Phase III Reconstruction and Expansion Project Rendering Photo (courtesy of Hainan Airport Group)

Also of note is the September 7 opening of CDF Sanya Phoenix Airport Phase II. This large-scale commercial complex is yet another shining highlight for Hainan's duty-free sales to travelers leaving the island. Promoting the synergistic development of "airport + duty-free" and meeting tourists' diverse shopping and consumption needs, major international brands are landing at the airport Duty-Free one after another.