Shanghai’s two international airports—Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA)—will implement the 2025-26 winter-spring schedule from 00:00 on 26 October. According to Shanghai Airport Authority, the six-month timetable (ending 28 March 2026) contains an average of 2,419 daily movements, of which 766 are international, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan flights—up 5 percent year-on-year. Pudong alone will handle 720 of those international sectors each day while Hongqiao will operate 46. In total, the two hubs will connect Shanghai with 279 passenger and cargo destinations in 48 countries, further consolidating the city’s role as mainland China’s primary long-haul gateway.
Inter-continental connectivity is the headline story. China Eastern will relaunch its Shanghai–Delhi service on 9 November and open a three-leg Shanghai–Auckland–Buenos Aires route on 4 December, cutting Shanghai-Argentina travel time by five hours. Frequencies to Milan, London—Gatwick, Barcelona, Osaka and Hanoi will also climb. The changes mirror strong corporate demand, especially from manufacturers re-shoring supply chains to Latin America and South-East Asia.
Domestic capacity is being redistributed to match post-pandemic travel patterns. Pudong and Hongqiao will add or up-gauge flights on 30 mainland trunk routes, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu, improving onward connectivity for foreign passengers on code-share tickets. Shanghai Airport Group says it has coordinated with ground handlers and immigration to ensure peak-hour queue times remain below 30 minutes despite the busier schedule.
To smooth passenger flows, the operator on 25 October also opened a Suzhou City Service Centre inside Pudong’s T1 and T2 international arrivals halls. Suzhou-bound travellers can now clear customs, buy through-tickets, check luggage and board dedicated coaches straight to the Yangtze River Delta tech hub in about 90 minutes—eliminating a common relocation pain-point for expatriate engineers and senior managers.
For global mobility managers, the new timetable means shorter lead times on international assignments, wider use of Shanghai as a connection point for Latin America and South Asia, and additional inventory during the fourth-quarter peak for project cargo. HR teams should update travel policies to reflect the new Delhi and Buenos Aires options and advise staff to double-check flight numbers after the 26 October switchover.
Inter-continental connectivity is the headline story. China Eastern will relaunch its Shanghai–Delhi service on 9 November and open a three-leg Shanghai–Auckland–Buenos Aires route on 4 December, cutting Shanghai-Argentina travel time by five hours. Frequencies to Milan, London—Gatwick, Barcelona, Osaka and Hanoi will also climb. The changes mirror strong corporate demand, especially from manufacturers re-shoring supply chains to Latin America and South-East Asia.
Domestic capacity is being redistributed to match post-pandemic travel patterns. Pudong and Hongqiao will add or up-gauge flights on 30 mainland trunk routes, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu, improving onward connectivity for foreign passengers on code-share tickets. Shanghai Airport Group says it has coordinated with ground handlers and immigration to ensure peak-hour queue times remain below 30 minutes despite the busier schedule.
To smooth passenger flows, the operator on 25 October also opened a Suzhou City Service Centre inside Pudong’s T1 and T2 international arrivals halls. Suzhou-bound travellers can now clear customs, buy through-tickets, check luggage and board dedicated coaches straight to the Yangtze River Delta tech hub in about 90 minutes—eliminating a common relocation pain-point for expatriate engineers and senior managers.
For global mobility managers, the new timetable means shorter lead times on international assignments, wider use of Shanghai as a connection point for Latin America and South Asia, and additional inventory during the fourth-quarter peak for project cargo. HR teams should update travel policies to reflect the new Delhi and Buenos Aires options and advise staff to double-check flight numbers after the 26 October switchover.
