SEOUL, July 12. /TASS/. The main airports of the southern Chinese province of Hainan are planning to expand the number of domestic and international flights in the summer period to attract tourists. That's according to the China Daily newspaper.
Located in the province's administrative center, Haikou City, Meilan Airport opened 203 new routes in the first half of 2023, including 10 international and regional routes. New scheduled flights to Moscow, as well as Jakarta, Seoul and Jeddah (UAE) are currently lined up to open.
Sanya Phoenix Resort Airport has resumed flights to Hong Kong and Seoul. In addition, scheduled flights to Jakarta will begin in mid-July. And Boao Airport has opened flights to Chinese cities such as Kunming, Lancang, Changchun and Taiyuan to attract Chinese tourists.
According to the newspaper, the summer holiday season started on July 1 and will end at the end of August. It is expected that the three main airports of Hainan province will carry out almost 50 thousand flights and serve 7.53 million passengers. According to Hainan Airport Group, these figures surpass those for the same period of "pre-pandemic" 2019. Meilan is expected to receive about 30,000 flights and 4.18 million passengers. And Sanya Phoenix Airport will serve another 20,000 flights and 3.25 million tourists.
The development of air transportation plays an important role in the implementation of the project to build a free trade port in Hainan. Its program was presented in June 2020. It provides for turning the island into a special customs zone. The government expects to complete the free port by 2025, by which time the island should have a system to ensure free trade and investment.
By 2035, the Freeport and its model will have reached a more mature stage. By that time, Hainan is expected to ensure the freedom of trade and investment, cross-border capital movement, entry and exit of people, and cargo transportation.