The recently concluded Mid-Autumn holiday saw Eastern Airport Group handle a total of 3,079 passenger flight movements and transport 397,000 passengers, with overall operations remaining stable and orderly.

The upcoming National Day holiday will bring another travel peak across the group's airports. An estimated 7,920 passenger flight movements and 1.156 million passenger throughput are expected. Among them, Nanjing Airport is projected to handle 4,790 passenger flight movements and transport 733,000 passengers, with the overall travel peak expected to fall on September 30, October 1, and October 7.

Tourism Routes Heat Up, Heading for Mountains and Seas

From the perspective of travel trends, traditional tourist destinations continue to attract strong passenger interest, while a number of niche destinations with distinctive appeal are seeing rapidly rising market demand and emerging as new travel hotspots.

Routes from Nanjing to Dalian, Datong, Xishuangbanna, Sanya, Shenyang, Guiyang, Urumqi, and other destinations have shown outstanding seat occupancy during peak hours, with travel resources in certain time slots running tight.

To meet robust travel demand, Eastern Airport Group has coordinated with airlines to allocate capacity in a unified manner—optimizing flight schedules on certain routes on one hand, and focusing on expanding the route network on the other. New routes to Hanoi and Singapore have been launched, while flight deployment has been increased for destinations including Dalian, Xi'an, Changchun, and Kashgar.

Tourism destinations at other airports have also warmed up across the board, with popular routes at multiple airports exceeding 90% seat occupancy. Xuzhou Airport expects significant passenger growth on routes to Yan'an, Lhasa, Xiamen, Dalian, and Zhoushan. Changzhou Airport is seeing rising demand on routes to Xiamen, Kunming, and Chengdu. Lianyungang Airport has added frequency to Changsha and introduced temporary extra flights to Guiyang. Huai'an Airport is experiencing high demand for Kunming, Guiyang, Dalian, Xiamen, Quanzhou, and Changsha. Yancheng Airport is seeing strong demand for Changsha, Kunming, and Harbin, while Yangtai Airport is witnessing robust demand on routes to Chengdu, Dalian, and Changchun.

Family trips, educational tours, family visits, and returning-home travel are interwoven, together forming the travel landscape for this National Day holiday.

Warm Services Debut, Traveling with Joy

Surprises are hidden in every detail that gets noticed. Nanjing Airport, as a pilot airport for the Civil Aviation Administration of China East China Regional Administration's "rapid turnaround" initiative, has achieved an average turnaround support time reduction of five minutes. Before the holiday, Metro Line 6 began initial operations, allowing passengers to reach the airport directly without transferring. In addition, there are digital inquiry assistants that understand local dialects and speak English, along with late-arrival counters and caring counters ready to serve passengers' needs—making travel both fast and warm.

Xuzhou Airport has launched the "Colorful Warm Journey" mini-program, putting services right into passengers' phones. Changzhou Airport has opened priority check-in and priority boarding channels for reserve personnel. Lianyungang Airport has introduced passenger luggage storage lockers using a date-based compartment system, allowing retrieval by matching number in just 10 seconds. Huai'an Airport's "Joyful Group Travel" service provides exclusive check-in and dedicated guidance. Yancheng Airport's "Warm Haven" accompanies special-needs passengers throughout their journey. Yangtai Airport offers express counters, late-arrival rapid response channels, and "worry-free transfers" and other distinctive services. From check-in to boarding, from offline counters to fingertip mini-programs, warm services accompany passengers every step of the way.

Festive Atmosphere in Full Swing, Paying Tribute to National Day

During the Mid-Autumn holiday, events such as a traditional Chinese style parade at Nanjing Airport, a perler bead handicraft market at Xuzhou Airport, "Full Moon Homecoming" gift giveaways at Lianyungang Airport, and "Ancient Charm Performances" at Huai'an Airport warmed up the festive atmosphere in advance.

During the National Day period, even more exciting activities will follow. At Nanjing Airport, a Chinese-foreign joint celebration flash mob will take the stage, with AI robots wielding brushes to write blessings and interacting with passengers throughout. At Xuzhou Airport on National Day itself, lacquer fan and sachet DIY handicraft activities will let visitors create their own holiday fun by hand. At Changzhou Airport, the two-cabin lounge food festival will continue, featuring local flavors such as Changdang Lake hairy crabs and Liyang black rice in rotation—even waiting for a flight can feel ceremonial. At Lianyungang Airport, a National Day blessing wall will let passengers write heartfelt messages to the motherland. At Huai'an Airport, the "Luanwa" children will join hands with the Huaiyin Normal University First Affiliated Primary School children's orchestra to perform "My Motherland," with melodious music and fluttering national flags, letting patriotic sentiment flow through the terminal. At Yancheng Airport, a moon lamp photo spot and a "Thousand Butterflies Embracing the Moon" wish wall will make the festive atmosphere felt everywhere. At Yangtai Airport, a themed exhibition titled "Tribute to the Pillars of the Nation" will tell stories of role models, alongside traditional Chinese style photo spots, moon-sign wish cards, pitch-pot games, and other interactive experiences—celebrating National Day in traditional style and welcoming the anniversary through cultural heritage.