The total number of airline passengers exceeds 500 million, witnessing high-quality development

Ask AI · How does a population of over 500 million in aviation promote the upgrade of the aviation industry?

Li Xiaojin

According to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China: During the Spring Festival travel season in 2026, the total number of passengers transported by civil aviation nationwide reached 94.39 million, a 4.6% increase compared to the same period in 2025, setting a historical record for the same period. This marks the third time since 2024 that the passenger transport volume during the Spring Festival travel season has reached a new high.

Among the growing civil aviation passenger flow, one piece of data stands out: By 2025, China’s total aviation population will exceed 500 million, making it the largest aviation population in the world.

What is the aviation population? It refers to the number of people who have taken at least one civil aviation flight during the statistical period. The scale of the aviation population serves as a “barometer” for the economic development of a country or region, reflecting the economic operation and disposable income situation of the country. On a micro level, this indicator also acts as a “measuring stick” for the quality of civil aviation products, verifying whether civil aviation can meet consumers’ travel needs in terms of safety levels, supply capacity, and service quality.

China’s ability to become the largest aviation population in the world today is not only due to its large population base but also closely related to the high-quality development of its economy and the aviation industry’s own growth.

Thanks to the continuously strengthening role of consumption as the “main engine,” inter-regional business exchanges, cultural and tourism travel, and other economic activities have remained active, directly driving the growth of civil aviation market demand, particularly in many third and fourth-tier cities and remote areas that have welcomed more travelers through civil aviation. For example, during this year’s Spring Festival travel season, data from travel platforms showed that the booking volume for flights to Altay in Xinjiang, Beihai in Guangxi, and Mangshi in Yunnan increased by 44%, 24%, and 22% year-on-year, respectively. At the same time, the civil aviation industry actively accommodated passenger flow, continuously improving flight safety and on-time performance, expanding the route network, and launching differentiated products such as “aviation + cultural tourism,” air express services, and air-rail intermodal transport, better matching consumers’ personalized and diversified travel needs.

Becoming a major aviation population country has multiple positive impacts on China’s economic and social development, helping to shape many new advantages.

From the perspective of the aviation industry, the steady development of the civil aviation market directly benefits aviation equipment manufacturing enterprises. By the end of 2025, the number of domestically produced civil aircraft used in China’s civil aviation is expected to reach 220, an increase of about 30 aircraft compared to 2024, thereby driving the synchronous upgrade of the aviation engine, aviation materials, onboard equipment, and other supporting industrial chains, propelling the rapid development of China’s aviation industry.

From the perspective of expanding domestic demand, safe, convenient, and economical civil aviation services continuously benefit the business, cultural tourism, and foreign trade logistics industries. For example, during the 2025 Jiangsu City Football League, the passenger volume at Nanjing Lukou International Airport increased by about 29% year-on-year around the competition dates, while Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport saw a year-on-year increase of about 21%, highlighting a significant consumer stimulation effect.

From the perspective of spillover effects, the economic development speed of areas where airports are located is relatively fast. According to statistics from Civil Aviation University of China, the average GDP growth rate of urban areas where airports are located was 7.5% in the first three quarters of 2025, which is inseparable from the airport’s role in driving and supporting high-value-added industries around the airport.

From the perspective of market potential, there is still considerable growth space for China’s aviation population in the future. On the one hand, young travelers are becoming a “new force in civil aviation,” with a significant increase in the proportion of first-time flyers aged 13-18; at the same time, the travel frequency and distance for the elderly are steadily increasing. During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the number of passengers over 60 purchasing their “first airline ticket” increased by 20% on some travel platforms.

Although China’s aviation population scale is already leading, we still have room for improvement in operational efficiency and economic benefits compared to some of the world’s strong aviation transport countries.

For instance, in terms of safety production, we must regard safety as an unshakeable bottom line; in improving services, we should center around passengers and cargo owners, using intelligent civil aviation services as a guide to provide more personalized, diverse, and high-quality services; in operational efficiency, we should empower airlines, airports, and air traffic management systems with technologies like artificial intelligence to enhance airspace resource support capabilities; and in economic benefits, we should comprehensively rectify “involution-style” competition, standardize market order, and improve unit revenue.

In the long run, having an aviation population of over 500 million is just a new starting point. According to data from China Aviation Information Network, in the first two months of this year, the number of civil aviation “first-time” passengers increased by another 8.38 million. As domestic demand accelerates, industries become more complete, and the level of openness increases, we are confident that we will maintain our lead in having the largest aviation population in the world for a longer time.

(The author is the director of the Institute of Aviation Economics and Development at Civil Aviation University of China. This report was compiled by our reporter Qiu Chaoyi.)

People’s Daily (March 24, 2026, Page 10)