Sanya Phoenix International Airport in Hainan has handled more than 1 million inbound and outbound passenger crossings and over 5,000 international flight arrivals and departures so far this year as of 8 p.m. on October 24, 2026. The figures represent year-on-year increases of 30.3% and 21.9%, respectively, with passenger traffic reaching its highest level in recent years.

An officer from the Phoenix Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station processes a foreign traveler's entry documents at Sanya Phoenix International Airport on February 23, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

Expanded visa-free entry policies and a growing international flight network have made cross-border travel to and from Sanya more convenient. Under China's nationwide visa exemptions and Hainan-specific visa-free policies, ordinary passport holders from 88 countries can now enter Hainan without a visa, subject to the relevant eligibility requirements.

Meanwhile, according to the Phoenix Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station, Sanya now has 38 international passenger air routes connecting the city with 30 destinations across 16 countries and regions. The network serves major visitor markets in Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Russian-speaking countries and regions.

As international passenger numbers rise, Sanya Phoenix International Airport is upgrading its border clearance facilities and services. The Phoenix Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station has improved staffing arrangements, upgraded inspection equipment and expanded multilingual assistance to speed up passenger processing.

Wu Dongrong, political instructor of the station's Second Duty Team, said the airport counts 38 immigration inspection lanes that are opened according to passenger demand. Additional multilingual signs and information screens have been installed, while a team of multilingual volunteers helps travelers complete entry and exit procedures.

The airport has also upgraded its self-service form-filling kiosks, which scan travel documents and automatically populate the required information. These improvements, along with passenger flow analysis systems and inspection assistance software, have cut individual clearance times by 30 seconds and reduced the overall border clearance time for each flight by approximately 30 minutes.

Border inspection authorities have also worked with the airport to expand the international section of Terminal 3 and add three international boarding gates. Outbound immigration checks now begin three hours before flight departure, helping ease queues and congestion in departure areas during peak travel periods.

For arriving travelers, the improvements are also making a difference to their journeys. Yohana Djong, a visitor from Indonesia, became the airport's millionth cross-border passenger of the year. She planned to spend four days and three nights in Sanya, visiting coastal attractions, sampling local cuisine and experiencing Hainan's culture.

"You can scan a QR code and fill out the form yourself. It's easy to use, the process is quick, and it's very convenient for foreign visitors," Djong said, adding that the streamlined entry procedures had made her journey smoother.

Foreign travelers account for a substantial share of cross-border passenger traffic at Sanya Phoenix International Airport. According to border inspection authorities, visa-free arrivals made up 97.6% of all inbound foreign travelers at the airport as of October 20, 2026.

The Hainan Free Trade Port launched island-wide special customs operations on December 18, 2025, introducing a special customs supervision regime across the island. The arrangement does not restrict normal travel to and from Hainan. With visa-free policies expanding, international air connections growing and airport services improving, Sanya Phoenix International Airport is making travel between Hainan and the rest of the world more convenient for tourists and business travelers alike.