BEIJING, October 8 (TMTPost) -- The total number of flights during the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays was 123,000, with an increase of 4.7% in terms of daily average flights compared to the same period in 2019. Among them, the daily average flight number of domestic flights increased by 15% compared to the same period in 2019, while the daily average flight number of international flights was less than 60% of that in the same period of 2019, according to the data from Flight Manager. 

In terms of the number of passengers, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, the total number of passengers transported by civil aviation was 17.08 million, with a daily average of 2.13 million passengers, an increase of 12.6% compared to the daily average of National Day in 2019, but lower than the growth rate of railway passengers during this year's National Day.

In addition, with the high expectations of the market for an extended version of the holiday this year, there was a rare situation of a significant drop in air ticket prices during the double holiday period. Faced with a significant reduction in ticket prices shortly before departure, many passengers who had booked their tickets in advance requested a refund of the price difference.

However, according to the data released by Flight Manager, the average economy class ticket price during the National Day holiday exceeded 900 yuan, with a daily average ticket price increase of 13.3% compared to the same period in 2019.

14 Chinese Airlines out of 20 Rebound to Pre-pandemic Levels

According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, during the 8-day holiday, the number of domestic tourists reached 826 million, an increase of 4.1% compared to 2019; the domestic tourism revenue reached 753.43 billion yuan, an increase of 1.5% compared to 2019.

In terms of the aviation passenger market, data from Flight Manager shows that compared to the National Day holiday in 2019, the overall daily average number of passenger flights in the country during this double holiday period increased by 4.7%, with the daily average number of domestic flights increasing by 15%.

In terms of ticket prices, data from Tongcheng Travel shows that airfare prices have fallen since September 30th, and October 2nd to 3rd were the lowest points for holiday airfare prices, with domestic airfare prices dropping by more than 30% compared to the peak holiday period. However, the average daily economy class ticket price during this year's National Day holiday increased by 13% compared to 2019, with the ticket price reaching its peak on September 28th, a 40% increase compared to the same period in 2019.

Looking at the situation of airlines, data from Flight Manager shows that during the 2023 National Day holiday, there were 40 domestic carriers for civil aviation passenger flights, with China Southern Airlines having the highest number of flights, accounting for 16.8% of the total domestic airlines, followed by China Eastern Airlines and Air China, with the three major airlines accounting for 44%.

In addition, the top 20 airlines accounted for 90% of the flights, with six of them, namely Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, China Xinhua Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, and Yunnan Xiangpeng Airlines, having daily flight volumes that have not recovered to the level of the 2019 National Day holiday.

TMTPost App noticed that compared to the same period in 2019, Chengdu Airlines and Zhejiang Loong Airlines have achieved a recovery rate of over 150% during this year's National Day holiday, performing well among the top 20 airlines.

In terms of inbound flights, data from Flight Manager shows that during this year's holiday period, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are still popular destinations, ranking in the top three for inbound flights. Sichuan Province ranks fourth in terms of inbound flights, with the highest daily recovery rate at 152% thanks to the new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. In addition, among the 31 provinces, there are six provinces where flight volumes are lower than the same period in 2019, namely Hebei, Tianjin, Guizhou, Henan, Guangxi, and Ningxia.

International Flights About Half of Pre-Pandemic Levels 

The eight-day holiday has boosted the willingness for long-haul travel, especially outbound travel. According to the "Mid-Autumn National Day Tourism Summary Report" released by Ctrip, domestic travel orders during the "Golden Week" holiday increased nearly 2 times compared to the previous year, while outbound travel increased more than 8 times.

Regarding the popularity of outbound travel, the "2023 Mid-Autumn National Day Holiday Travel Consumption Report" released by Tongcheng Travel pointed out that after China announced the third batch of countries and regions for the resumption of outbound group tours in August this year, the attention to outbound travel continued to rise, and the demand was concentrated during the Mid-Autumn National Day holiday period.

However, in terms of international flight volume, data from Flight Manager shows that the average daily flight volume during the National Day holiday was 1,534 flights, a decrease of 44.2% compared to 2019, with a recovery rate of 57.8%.

Looking at the profile of outbound travelers, the aforementioned Ctrip report analysis states that the post-90s generation is still the "main force" among outbound travelers, accounting for nearly 30%; the post-2000s generation has the fastest growth rate, accounting for a similar proportion as the post-80s generation, reaching 22%. As for the popular destinations for air tickets, outbound travel destinations are still concentrated in Hong Kong, Macau, and Asian countries.

Data from Flight Manager also shows that popular international departure countries are concentrated in East Asia and Southeast Asia. During the National Day holiday, there were 4,835 international departure flights, which recovered to 55% of the same period in 2019. There were 62 countries with air travel, of which the top 20 countries accounted for 89% of the total international flights, mainly concentrated in East Asia and Southeast Asia. South Korea, Japan, and Thailand ranked top three, with Thailand's recovery rate being less than 50%. The UK and Italy have recovered beyond 2019 levels.

A report released by Douyin Life Services shows that during the National Day holiday, the top five popular outbound travel destinations are Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.

In response to the new trend of outbound travel, Tongcheng Travel mentioned in the aforementioned report that in previous years, the sales of outbound travel products were mainly large groups with more than 40 people. This year, tourists are more willing to choose boutique small groups, private groups, and other products.

In addition, the "2023 Mid-Autumn National Day Tourism Consumption Inventory" released by Tuniu Travel Network also mentioned that destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Turkey, and Iran, which are part of the "Belt and Road Initiative," have become "dark horses" in the outbound travel market during this year's Mid-Autumn National Day holiday.

(This article was first published on the TMTPost App. Reporting by Zhang Sunmingshuo.)