Passengers navigate Ningbo Lishe International Airport. [Photo/Tide News]

Zhejiang's airports are expected to handle a record number of passengers during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, with total throughput forecast at 10.61 million passenger trips, up 5.4 percent year-on-year.

Average daily passenger volume across the province is projected to reach about 265,000 trips. The first major travel peak is expected around Feb 7, with the highest volumes likely on Feb 13 and 14. Another peak is forecast around Feb 23.

Hangzhou International Airport is expected to handle about 5.65 million passenger trips during the Spring Festival period, averaging 141,000 per day, an increase of 2.5 percent from last year. During the nine-day Spring Festival holiday alone, passenger throughput is projected at around 1.28 million, with daily peaks potentially exceeding 153,000 trips.

Ningbo Lishe International Airport is forecast to handle about 2.02 million passenger trips, up 7.1 percent year-on-year, while Wenzhou Longwan International Airport is expected to serve about 1.69 million passengers, an increase of 2.1 percent.

Four smaller airports in Zhoushan, Quzhou, Taizhou, and Yiwu are projected to collectively handle about 1.10 million passenger trips, up 7.4 percent year-on-year. Lishui and Jiaxing, which are participating in the Spring Festival travel rush for the first time with newly opened airports, are expected to serve a combined total of about 159,000 passengers.

Demand for international travel is also rising. Outbound and inbound trips during the Spring Festival period are expected to increase further, with popular destinations including Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

At Hangzhou International Airport, flight volumes on routes to and from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Madrid, and Nha Trang are each expected to rise by more than 30 percent year-on-year.