Passengers wait in a departure lounge at Hangzhou International Airport on Feb 5, 2026. [Photo/IC]

Passenger traffic at Hangzhou International Airport increased by more than 10 percent year-on-year during the Spring Festival holiday, according to data released by Hangzhou Customs on Feb 24.

From Feb 15 to 23, the airport handled 918 inbound and outbound passenger flights and 150,200 passenger trips, up 8.38 percent and 10.49 percent respectively from the same holiday period last year. On Feb 23, single-day passenger volume reached 20,500, marking the holiday peak.

During the broader Spring Festival travel season from Feb 2 to 23, Hangzhou International Airport recorded 2,140 inbound and outbound passenger flights, up 3.53 percent, and 351,700 passenger trips, up 6.79 percent.

International flight frequencies were increased, with weekly services between Hangzhou and Singapore increased to 27 flights, up 38.5 percent, while routes to Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, and Madrid recorded increases of more than 30 percent.

Customs authorities said the continued expansion of China's visa-free entry policies supported growth in inbound travel, with many foreign visitors arriving to experience the Spring Festival and purchase Chinese products. A customs-developed digital pre-declaration system also allows travelers to submit information in advance, reducing on-site processing time to under two minutes.

Jin Yu, deputy head of passenger inspection at Hangzhou International Airport customs, said more than 6,000 departure tax refund transactions were processed in 2025, up 170 percent year-on-year. Since Feb 15, customs authorities at the airport have handled 269,000 yuan (about $39,320) in tax refunds.