Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport announced on 10 July that five carriers—Air China, Hainan Airlines, Chongqing Airlines, China Southern and Sichuan Airlines—will collectively add more than 1,200 flights during July and August. The expansion includes new or restored routes to Jiaxing, Dalian, Qingdao, Daocheng Yading, Xining and Urumqi, plus higher frequencies to Haikou, Shenzhen and Beijing. Air China alone will operate 49 routes from the megacity by mid-July, serving 38 domestic and 11 international or regional destinations. Hainan Airlines will follow on 15 July with six additional nonstop services, part of a strategy to funnel leisure demand from interior provinces directly to China’s coastal resorts without forcing connections through Beijing or Shanghai. For corporate mobility planners the development is significant. Chongqing sits at the heart of the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle, a manufacturing powerhouse for automotive, electronics and chemicals. Improved air connectivity reduces door-to-door travel time for site-visiting executives and supports “point-to-point” cargo charters for high-value components. Early bookings are advised: promotional fares starting at RMB 199 (US $27) have led to 80 percent seat take-up on inaugural flights, according to travel-platform Qunar. The move also reflects Civil Aviation Administration of China policy encouraging airlines to shift capacity westward to ease congestion at coastal hubs. Analysts expect secondary hubs such as Xi’an, Guiyang and Kunming to announce similar boosts before China’s National Day ‘Golden Week’, potentially reshaping internal corporate-travel routings.
Source: iChongqing
