Shanghai Securities News reported on 9 January 2026 that China’s cumulative “aviation population” (the number of people who have flown at least once) surpassed 5 billion in 2025, making it the largest in the world. The milestone—announced at the same civil-aviation work conference—highlights how air travel has become embedded in everyday life and business mobility across the mainland.
Officials credited aggressive airport construction during the 14th Five-Year Plan, including new terminals in Chengdu, Qingdao and Xiamen, plus the maturation of four world-class airport clusters around Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, the Greater Bay Area and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone.
![China Becomes the World’s Largest ‘Aviation Population’ at 5 Billion Travellers]()
More than 630 billion yuan (USD 88 billion) has been invested in aviation infrastructure over the past five years. Ninety-three percent of China’s prefecture-level cities are now within a 90-minute drive of a commercial airport, and scheduled flights touch 90 countries and 263 international destinations—critical for multinationals relocating staff or moving components through high-value supply chains.
International visitors and business travelers taking advantage of these new routes can simplify their visa requirements through VisaHQ, which offers an easy online application process, real-time status updates, and concierge support for China visas (https://www.visahq.com/china/). The service helps corporate travel teams coordinate multiple passports efficiently, ensuring employees arrive on schedule to leverage China’s rapidly expanding aviation network.
For corporate travel managers the expanding base means bigger volumes, stronger bargaining power with carriers on negotiated fares, and greater need for traveller-experience differentiation. Analysts expect ancillary-service competition to intensify, with airlines offering bundled Wi-Fi, through-checked baggage on interline itineraries, and carbon-offset packages to win loyalty.
Officials credited aggressive airport construction during the 14th Five-Year Plan, including new terminals in Chengdu, Qingdao and Xiamen, plus the maturation of four world-class airport clusters around Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, the Greater Bay Area and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone.
More than 630 billion yuan (USD 88 billion) has been invested in aviation infrastructure over the past five years. Ninety-three percent of China’s prefecture-level cities are now within a 90-minute drive of a commercial airport, and scheduled flights touch 90 countries and 263 international destinations—critical for multinationals relocating staff or moving components through high-value supply chains.
International visitors and business travelers taking advantage of these new routes can simplify their visa requirements through VisaHQ, which offers an easy online application process, real-time status updates, and concierge support for China visas (https://www.visahq.com/china/). The service helps corporate travel teams coordinate multiple passports efficiently, ensuring employees arrive on schedule to leverage China’s rapidly expanding aviation network.
For corporate travel managers the expanding base means bigger volumes, stronger bargaining power with carriers on negotiated fares, and greater need for traveller-experience differentiation. Analysts expect ancillary-service competition to intensify, with airlines offering bundled Wi-Fi, through-checked baggage on interline itineraries, and carbon-offset packages to win loyalty.
