Shanghai airports to handle 9.3m tourists for Spring Festival

Shanghai's two airports are expected to receive a total of 9.3 million passengers during the Spring Festival rush this year, 7.3 percent higher than that of 2013, the airport authority said on Tuesday.

Some 70,000 flights are estimated to handle 3.8 million passengers at Hongqiao International Airport and 5.5 million at Pudong International Airport, most winging their way to family reunions, during the 40-day rush between Thursday and February 24.

An outbound peak is expected to hit the airports during the week encompassing January 30, or the eve of Spring Festival, while the inbound peak period will be the week after February 3.

The number of flights has increased by about 5 percent at the two airports during the holiday to ensure passengers can buy tickets easily, an official with the authority said.

Each year, Chinese people make billions of trips for family reunions during China's biggest holiday, which begins on January 31 this year, and the numbers have been increasing every year.

The number of passenger trips by bus, train, plane and ship is estimated to reach more than 3.6 billion during the 40-day rush, described as the world's "biggest annual migration," which will begin on Thursday.

Getting home is particularly important as it is often the only chance during the year that many families can get together, sometimes after a gap of several years.

The airport authority will open one more security check line at each of the two airports to shorten the waiting time of passengers during the rush, the official said.

All the security check lines will be open to passengers during any peak period. Staffers will guide passengers to check their own luggage.

Since a wide range of flight delays are expected to hit the airports, the authority will ensure illumination, temperature control, and food and water supply to stranded passengers during any flight delay, the official said.

Meanwhile, the 96990 airport hotline will add a service in Shanghai dialect to mainly serve local senior passengers who speak only the local dialect.