Pudong airport handles over 20 million inbound and outbound passenger trips so far in 2026

(ECNS) -- Shanghai Pudong International Airport handled more than 20 million inbound and outbound passenger trips from Jan. 1 through Sunday, becoming the first of China’s airport immigration checkpoints to pass the mark this year, official data released Monday showed.

The airport recorded 3.29 million arrivals by foreign nationals, up 22% from a year earlier. South Korean arrivals led the total at 430,000, followed by travelers from Russia, the United States, Thailand and Malaysia.

A total of 2.28 million transit passengers used a 24-hour direct transit arrangement that allows eligible travelers to transfer without undergoing immigration inspection.

Outbound trips by Chinese nationals reached 5.45 million. From July 1 to 19, the airport handled 620,000 such trips, up 30% from the same period in June, with family and study tours prominent during the summer travel season.

(By Intern Yang Hongran, Zhang Dongfang)