As the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday drew to a close on 22 February, China’s transport authorities warned of the busiest return-journey day since border re-opening. CCTV reported that cross-regional passenger movements were expected to hit 360 million on the day, with inbound and outbound flows at international airports approaching 2 million people. Rail and aviation were stretched to capacity. China State Railway Group ran 551 extra trains on southwest routes alone, while the Civil Aviation Administration approved 3,200 ad-hoc domestic and 420 international flights between 19-24 February. Beijing Capital, Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun airports opened temporary e-gates to keep queue times under 30 minutes, in line with National Immigration Administration (NIA) targets. For global-mobility managers the message is clear: allow extra buffer time for staff returning to China offices the week of 24 February and reconfirm booked seats, especially on Guangzhou-Hong Kong and Beijing-Tokyo shuttles that are operating at 98 % load factors. The surge offered a real-time stress test of China’s new smart-border controls. Biometric kiosks trialled at Shenzhen Bao’an processed 1,200 passengers per hour with fewer than five false rejections, according to airport data. Authorities also debuted a ‘green lane’ for foreign nationals with connecting flights of under three hours—useful for expatriates based in Singapore or Seoul.
![Spring Festival Return Peak Pushes China’s Cross-Border Passenger Flows to Record High]()
For travellers who still need to sort out entry documents, VisaHQ can streamline the visa process by aggregating the latest requirements and submitting applications on your behalf. Their dedicated China section (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers up-to-date guidance and concierge-level support, ensuring employees avoid last-minute surprises when flights are already running near capacity.
While the crowds underline a robust domestic recovery, they also expose pinch-points: car-ferry tickets across the Qiongzhou Strait sold out 48 hours in advance, and Hainan resorts reported hour-long queues at tax-refund counters. The Ministry of Transport said lessons learned this week will feed into planning for the Qingming holiday in April.
For travellers who still need to sort out entry documents, VisaHQ can streamline the visa process by aggregating the latest requirements and submitting applications on your behalf. Their dedicated China section (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers up-to-date guidance and concierge-level support, ensuring employees avoid last-minute surprises when flights are already running near capacity.
While the crowds underline a robust domestic recovery, they also expose pinch-points: car-ferry tickets across the Qiongzhou Strait sold out 48 hours in advance, and Hainan resorts reported hour-long queues at tax-refund counters. The Ministry of Transport said lessons learned this week will feed into planning for the Qingming holiday in April.
