Record flight operations and passengers: Another busy day at Hangzhou International Airport. [Photo/xsnet.cn]

Hangzhou International Airport – located in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province – closed 2024 with record-breaking performances in passengers and flight operations.

The airport handled 48.05 million travelers throughout the year, up 16.7 percent year-on-year, averaging 131,000 people daily. A total of 320,000 flights took off or landed, which was up 6.6 percent, with flights peaking at 1,001 per day during the summer.

In terms of its domestic expansion, key routes to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen saw a nearly 5 percent increase, while popular destinations like Harbin and Altay added flights – with an average growth of 17.8 percent.

For international reach, new routes included Tashkent and Melbourne – with connections to Laos, Vietnam and Japan restored – expanding its global reach to 36 international destinations in 21 countries.

The airport helped boost Zhejiang province's role in global trade by opening new Vancouver flights and increasing Budapest routes, which facilitated the faster transport of goods like Russian king crabs and Chilean cherries.

Initiatives like paperless check-ins for international flights, new Terminal 4 amenities and seamless baggage transfers improved passenger experiences.

Key projects, including the T4 terminal expansion and the eHub logistics hub, improved infrastructure, boosted efficiency and further consolidated Hangzhou's position as a global aviation gateway.

Looking ahead to 2025, plans are for Hangzhou International Airport to strengthen its role as a hub for global connectivity and drive Zhejiang's high-level openness and development.

A volunteer at Hangzhou International Airport holds a banner saying: "Passengers boarding in 10 minutes, please call me". [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]