Ningbo airport handles record passengers during May Day holiday

Hordes of travelers use Ningbo Lishe International Airport during the May Day holiday. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo Lishe International Airport saw an unprecedented surge in travelers during this year's May Day holiday, handling 246,000 passengers, a 14.1 percent increase compared with last year.

It also accommodated 1,640 flights, averaging 328 flights per day, representing hefty growth of 6.4 percent.

Passenger traffic peaked at the beginning and end of the holiday, with April 30, May 1 and May 5 each surpassing 51,000 travelers. Popular domestic destinations included Guangzhou, Guiyang, Changsha, Beijing, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Chongqing, Kunming, Chengdu and Wuhan.

To meet the demand, airlines increased wide-body aircraft capacity for flights to the prime destinations of Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

International visitors go through immigration at Ningbo Lishe International Airport. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

International travel also flourished, with 17,000 travelers passing through the airport, up 18 percent year-on-year.

New visa policies, including the 240-hour visa-free transit, helped boost inbound tourism. Nearly 1,000 foreign passengers entered or exited, a whopping 94 percent rise, with most visitors from Japan, South Korea, India and Thailand. Outbound passengers favored Hong Kong, Macao, Japan and Southeast Asia for short-haul trips.

Ningbo airport also introduced its "sunshine easy trip" luggage delivery service during the holiday and continued offering specialized assistance for first-time flyers, children, seniors and pregnant travelers.