Airline bookings for cities like Hangzhou and Chengdu have surpassed pre-epidemic levels, according to data from the Qunar platform. As the first new flight season after the epidemic, the summer and autumn season starting tomorrow is expected to see a recovery in the number of domestic flights exceeding pre-epidemic levels. The most popular city lines include Chengdu, and business travel is also showing signs of recovery with hotel bookings on the rise. Although the planned flight schedule for international routes has not yet been announced, various airlines are expected to see approximately 70% to 80% of the planned flight volume for international routes compared to 2019.
Airline bookings for cities such as Hangzhou and Chengdu have exceeded pre-epidemic
Tomorrow, civil aviation will usher in the adjustment of flight plans for the summer and autumn seasons. As the first new flight season after the epidemic, can the total number of domestic flights exceed that before the epidemic? Can international routes resume? Will air ticket prices drop? Civil aviation is a barometer of the economy. These issues closely related to passengers will affect the recovery of the tourism industry and overall consumption in 2023.
The 2023 summer and autumn sailing season starts tomorrow, and the key word of this season is “recovery”. According to the “Flight Slot Allocation Policy for the Summer Flight Season in 2023”, the domestic passenger weekly planned flight volume has exceeded that before the epidemic (2019), and the most densely populated city lines are mostly Chengdu lines. On the Qunar platform, Beijing-Chengdu, Shanghai The Chengdu Line is busier than before the epidemic. Data from the platform shows that since March, air ticket bookings in many domestic cities have returned to pre-epidemic levels. Among the top 25 cities with reservations, Sanya, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Haikou, Harbin, Changsha, and Chongqing have already surpassed 2019 inbound and outbound bookings, and cities such as Nanjing, Beijing, Wuhan, and Dalian have recovered to nine of the 2019 levels. into more than.
Since February, the recovery speed of the main business lines mainly including Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou, and Shanghai-Shenzhen has been ranked at the forefront of the country, which shows that the public and business markets are recovering rapidly. Platform data show that business travel hotel bookings are rising rapidly. From February 15 to now, business hotel bookings have increased by 1.3 times compared with the same period before the epidemic (2019). For business travel hotel reservations, apart from the four super cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the top five cities with the fastest recovery are Changsha, Suzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai, and Hangzhou. With the recovery of the number of corporate and business passengers, the structure of domestic civil aviation passengers has gradually become normal, which is conducive to airline companies to rationally adjust the route network structure to welcome the arrival of the peak summer season.
Although the planned flight schedule for international routes has not yet been announced, judging from the new season plans announced by various airlines, the planned flight volume for international routes is expected to reach 70% to 80% of that in 2019.
Judging from the data of the Qunar platform, from March 1st to 20th, the number of air ticket bookings in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea and other countries increased significantly month-on-month, and the average price paid for air tickets decreased. Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu and Xiamen are popular departure places, while Bangkok in Thailand, Hong Kong in China, Seoul in South Korea, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Macau in China are popular destinations. According to the current passenger demand, the number of flights to destinations such as Thailand and Malaysia is expected to return to that before the epidemic. With the arrival of flight seasons, the number of flights to Southeast Asia has increased, and the air ticket prices of destinations led by Singapore have dropped significantly. On the platform, from April to May, the price of a tax-included air ticket from Guangzhou, Nanning, and Haikou to Singapore is as low as 500 yuan, and the round-trip is around 1,200 yuan, a 70% drop from early February.
Flights to Japan, South Korea, and Australia have also increased significantly in the near future. With the recovery of routes, air ticket prices will also usher in a continuous decline. According to Qunar data, on April 16, the price of Tianjin-Tokyo direct flight including tax was 2,572 yuan, and that of Beijing-Tokyo was 2,976 yuan, a decrease of nearly 80% from March.
As the summer and autumn flight season begins, the aviation industry is hopeful for a strong recovery following a challenging period. The domestic flight volume has already exceeded pre-epidemic levels, and many popular tourist destinations are seeing a surge in bookings. Business travel is also on the rise, and the structure of domestic civil aviation passengers is gradually returning to normal. While the planned flight schedules for international routes have yet to be announced, airlines are optimistic about a return to 70% to 80% of pre-epidemic levels. With the arrival of flight seasons, air ticket prices are expected to continue to decline, providing more opportunities for passengers to explore the world. As always, the aviation industry will remain a key indicator of the overall economy, and the recovery of this sector bodes well for the overall recovery of the tourism industry and consumption in the future.