Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

THE turnover of international passengers at Shenzhen International Airport increased by 1.87 million in the first half of the year, a 34.7 percent increase year on year, thanks to the opening of more international routes.

In the past months, the Shenzhen airport opened seven international routes including five intercontinental routes to Brussels, Madrid, St. Petersburg, Vancouver and Darwin, bringing the total international routes to 44.

Statistics showed the passenger turnover between January and June reached 24.32 million, an increase of 10.6 percent over the same period last year. The mail cargo turnover reached 586,000 tons, an increase of 6.7 percent.

The turnover of international passengers at the airport kept rising in recent years. It makes up about 10 percent of the total passengers, and the optimization of the business structure will stimulate sustainable development of airport turnover and increase the airport’s capability in serving the regional economy.

According to the airport authority, international routes to Zurich, London, and Vienna will be put into operation.

Despite the fact that the number of flights at the airport had increased by 6.5 percent between January and June, the punctuality increased to 84.5 percent. During the May-June period, when the Dragon Boat rain affected the city, the punctuality reached 80 percent.

In a passenger satisfactory survey in the first quarter organized by Airports Council International, the Shenzhen airport ranked 13th among airports in the world with 4.96 marks. The full mark is 5.