In 2023, air travel in the Hainan Free Trade Port boomed as the number of air passengers arriving and departing the island province soared.

The number of aircraft arrivals and departures as well as total passenger throughput at Hainan's three major airports, Haikou Meilan, Sanya Phoenix, and Qionghai Bo’ao all reached record highs. Total trips exceeded 47.06 million, up 4.7% from 44.94 million in 2019.

Haikou Meilan Airport saw over 24.33 million trips, an increase of 0.5% over the 24.22 million recorded trips in 2019. Sanya Phoenix Airport handled 21.78 million travelers, an increase of 8.0% compared with 2019. Qionghai’s Bo’ao Airport is expected to handle 950,000 travelers, an increase of 70.0% compared to 2019's 560,000.

Travelers line up for security screening at Haikou Meilan International Airport. (Photo by Hainan Airport Group)

Hainan airports have extensively developed the international air travel market, continued to expand route networks, and resumed 51 international passenger and cargo routes in 2023.

Sanya Phoenix Airport and Haikou Meilan Airport have launched a number of new routes, including the Phnom Penh ⇌Sanya ⇌Singapore and Phnom Penh ⇌Haikou ⇌Nha Trang routes, which together have an annual throughput of 590,000. A total of 470,000 passengers took international flights to or from Meilan Airport and 120,000 took international flights to or from Phoenix Airport. These international routes form a ‘sky bridge’ connecting Hainan with the world.