HAIKOU /China/, June 29. /TASS/.  More than 8.3 million passengers are expected to fly through the two largest airports in the southern Chinese province of Hainan (in Haikou and Sanya) during the summer tourist season, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to forecasts, Meilan International Airport in Haikou will serve nearly 4.6 million passengers in the next two months, and the number of scheduled flights will exceed 30,000. Ahead of the summer season, the airport added new routes to Tokyo, London, and Jakarta to its international network. A total of 2,196 international flights are expected to operate this summer, with an estimated 254,000 passengers, marking a 13.3% year-on-year increase.

Phoenix International Airport, located in the resort city of Sanya, is expected to serve approximately 3.73 million passengers and 22,900 flights during the same period. To handle the increased demand, the airport is using wide-body aircraft for domestic flights to major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

According to official data, Hainan welcomed more than 97.2 million tourists in 2024, an 8% increase from 2023. Last year, the province saw a 12.5% surge in total tourist spending, reaching 204 billion yuan (equivalent to approximately $28.48 billion). This year, Hainan is on track to receive over 100 million tourists from other provinces in China and from abroad.