Monday marked the end of the Spring Festival holiday, bringing the peak of the travel rush to Hainan's three major airports. They were expected to handle a record high of over 232,000 passenger trips during the entire Spring Festival travel rush.
According to a report from Jiemian News, economy-class seats on direct flights from Sanya to core cities like Beijing and Shanghai were almost completely sold out between Sunday and Monday. The remaining business-class tickets were widely priced near the 10,000 yuan mark.
Direct flights from Sanya to Guangzhou were shown as "sold out" on Monday, leaving travelers with only connecting options that take significantly longer and still cost nearly 10,000 yuan. The situation is similar for the Shenzhen route, with all direct flights sold out on Sunday and Monday. The next available direct flight to Shenzhen is not until Tuesday, with tickets still priced above 8,000 yuan.
In response to the soaring fares, airlines have issued statements. Citing "Haikou Release", a Hainan Airlines representative explained that price fluctuations during the Spring Festival travel rush are a normal phenomenon driven by market supply and demand. "We monitor fare fluctuations through our internal systems in real-time to ensure prices remain within a reasonable range during the holiday," the representative stated, adding that all domestic economy-class fares strictly adhere to the filed pricing system.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has approved multiple rounds of additional flights to cope with the surging demand. Data from the Ministry of Transport shows that on Sunday, the civil aviation sector was projected to handle 2.66 million passenger trips, a 7.5 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Aviation authorities are mobilizing fully to manage the post-holiday travel peak. Measures include scientifically arranging flight capacity, optimizing travel services, and ensuring safe and smooth journeys. The CAAC has approved over 110 additional flights in Haikou alone, precisely serving popular destinations such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu. Airlines like China Southern have also been increasing flight frequencies on popular routes and deploying wide-body aircrafts to boost capacity.
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