Passenger throughput at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport’s border-control point has already surpassed its 2024 full-year total, hitting 14.71 million exits and entries as of 5 a.m. on 9 November, according to data released by the Guangdong Immigration Inspection Authority. The airport now accounts for roughly 13 percent of all international air passenger movements in mainland China.
Inbound foreign nationals are driving the growth, jumping 36.5 percent year-on-year to more than 2.6 million. Nearly half of those travellers—1.2 million people—entered visa-free, and usage of the 240-hour transit-visa waiver has soared 135 percent. Southeast Asia remains Baiyun’s largest market (38.5 percent of flows), with Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore topping the arrival league table.
![Guangzhou Baiyun Airport Handles 14.7 Million Cross-Border Travellers — Visa-Free Arrivals Surge 135 %]()
The surge coincides with Baiyun’s aggressive route expansion: the airport now offers 146 international and regional links to 105 cities, including 20 newly added or boosted services this year to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Long-haul connectivity is also recovering, with China Southern restoring Vancouver and adding frequencies to Amsterdam.
For corporate mobility teams the data confirms that China’s visa-free and transit-waiver programmes are translating into real passenger volumes, particularly for regional headquarters in the Greater Bay Area. Companies should expect tighter hotel availability around Baiyun and factor longer taxi queues into arrival plans, especially during Canton Fair and National Games periods.
Immigration officials credit e-gate upgrades and additional 24-hour air-side-transit channels—part of the NIA’s November facilitation package—for keeping average clearance times under 25 minutes despite record traffic. Baiyun plans to commission a new smart-border hall in early 2026 that will expand automated-gate capacity by 40 percent, positioning the airport as China’s primary Southern hub for visa-free arrivals.
Inbound foreign nationals are driving the growth, jumping 36.5 percent year-on-year to more than 2.6 million. Nearly half of those travellers—1.2 million people—entered visa-free, and usage of the 240-hour transit-visa waiver has soared 135 percent. Southeast Asia remains Baiyun’s largest market (38.5 percent of flows), with Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore topping the arrival league table.
The surge coincides with Baiyun’s aggressive route expansion: the airport now offers 146 international and regional links to 105 cities, including 20 newly added or boosted services this year to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Long-haul connectivity is also recovering, with China Southern restoring Vancouver and adding frequencies to Amsterdam.
For corporate mobility teams the data confirms that China’s visa-free and transit-waiver programmes are translating into real passenger volumes, particularly for regional headquarters in the Greater Bay Area. Companies should expect tighter hotel availability around Baiyun and factor longer taxi queues into arrival plans, especially during Canton Fair and National Games periods.
Immigration officials credit e-gate upgrades and additional 24-hour air-side-transit channels—part of the NIA’s November facilitation package—for keeping average clearance times under 25 minutes despite record traffic. Baiyun plans to commission a new smart-border hall in early 2026 that will expand automated-gate capacity by 40 percent, positioning the airport as China’s primary Southern hub for visa-free arrivals.
