In the 1st quarter, the Qingdao airport has completed 5,074,300 passenger throughput and 4,060,000 flights, up by 14.62% and 5.02% respectively. International and local tourists throughput is 788,000 person-times, up by 7.4% year-on-year. All numbers set up a record new high.

    Among domestic cities, passengers in air routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Harbin are significant. In passenger throughput growth, Shenyang in northeastern China, Kunming and Chengdu in southwestern China are significant, higher than the average growth in China. In international air routes, North America market sees highest increase, 194%. According to officials of Qingdao airport, it is because of air routes to Vancouver and San Francisco newly opened in 2016.

    In 2016, Qingdao airport has opened 4 inter-continental direct air routes, which are Qingdao-Frankfurt, Qingdao-San Francisco, Qingdao-Melbourne, Qingdao-Vancour, thus Qingdao is linked to key cities in Europe, US, and Australia. In 2017, these air routes see excellent market performance. In Q1, the passenger throughput of direct air route between Qingdao and Frankfurt reached to 12,135 person-times, up by 164.73% than the same period of 2016; the passenger throughput of Qingdao-San Francisco reached to 6,492 person-times, up by 363.71%; the number of Qingdao-Melbourne reached 12,078 person-times, and the seat occupation rate is 70.66%. (Zhou Jianliang)