China’s domestic flight activity jumped to around 65% of pre-pandemic levels Monday, December 12, 2022, from just 22% on November 29, 2022, according to Chinese aviation data company VariFlight. The relaxing of pandemic restrictions has led to this sharp recovery giving much-needed respite to three major Chinese carriers.
Ticket sales for the crucial Lunar New Year period in late January have also surged, China Aviation Daily reported Monday, citing online travel portal Qunar.com data.
Ticket prices for popular destinations such as Sanya on the resort island of Hainan, and Kunming from major cities including Beijing, Shanghai are expected to rebound to closer to usual levels for the Lunar New Year which before Covid was the world’s biggest mass migration event as workers return to their home villages, China Aviation Daily reports.
On December 7, 2022, when the government of China announced the dismantling of COVID restrictions including mass testing and snap lockdowns, air travel searches jumped 900%, according to the data provided by Ctrip.com.
“Within hours of a local announcement to lift traveler curbs on Dec. 5, searches for Sanya surged 166%, and a day later hotel bookings there jumped 95%,” Ctrip stated.
However, experts believe that this travel surge could be short-lived as a rapid easing of Covid rules might lead to a wider spread of the virus, prompting people to stay home for fear of getting infected.