At least ten provinces have more than two airports with an annual passenger throughput exceeding ten million, with Jiangsu newly added to the list.
On the morning of December 14, with the landing of a civil aviation passenger plane from Guangzhou, Wuxi Shuofang Airport’s passenger throughput for the year surpassed 10 million, making it the second airport in Jiangsu Province to join the “10 million club” after Nanjing Lukou International Airport.
Wuxi Shuofang Airport is located approximately 13 kilometers northwest of Wuxi city center and about 26 kilometers southeast of Suzhou city center, serving as a regional hub airport jointly built and utilized by both cities. Since the launch of civil aviation in 2004, the airport has opened 88 flight routes, connecting 70 cities, with the number of flights, passenger throughput, and cargo mail throughput increasing year by year. Since last year, the airport has accelerated its integration with Suzhou, the strongest prefecture-level city without a civil airport, by launching the first direct public transport line “Suzhou-Wuxi Bus Line 1” and a round-trip “Airport Custom Express” bus service between Suzhou’s main urban area and the airport, establishing transfer points in four directions of Suzhou’s main urban area, and setting up urban terminal services in Suzhou Industrial Park and High-tech Zone.
Passenger throughput at the airport is an important indicator of the level of economic and social development and openness of a region. Currently, there are nearly 300 airports across the country, with over 40 of them having an annual passenger throughput exceeding 10 million. Members of the “10 million club” account for a significant portion of domestic air transport in terms of passenger throughput, cargo mail throughput, and flight operations.
According to The Paper, at least 10 provinces in China have two or more airports with a passenger throughput exceeding 10 million, including three in Zhejiang (Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Ningbo Lishe, Wenzhou Longwan), three in Guangdong (Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Baoan, Zhuhai Jinwan), three in Shandong (Jinan Yaoqiang, Qingdao Jiaodong, Rizhao Penglai), two in Beijing (Capital, Daxing), two in Shanghai (Pudong, Hongqiao), two in Jiangsu (Nanjing Lukou, Wuxi Shuofang), two in Sichuan (Chengdu Tianfu, Shuangliu), two in Liaoning (Shenyang Taoxian, Dalian Zhoushuizi), two in Fujian (Fuzhou Changle, Xiamen Gaoqi), and two in Hainan (Haikou Meilan, Sanya Phoenix).
According to Wuxi Daily, the overall planning and revision scheme for Wuxi Shuofang Airport has recently been approved by the Civil Aviation Administration, which includes the construction of a second runway, extension of the first runway, a new T3 terminal, and a comprehensive transportation hub. This will fully meet the projected demand for a passenger throughput of 21.5 million and cargo of 650,000 tons by 2035, with long-term goals of 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo by 2050.
