THE number of foreign nationals entering and exiting through the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport has continued to rise in recent months, driven by the expansion of China’s visa-free transit policy, an influx of travelers during holidays, and the hosting of major international events like the Canton Fair and the China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair.

As of May 29, the airport had recorded over 2.6 million inbound and outbound international passenger trips, a 31.1% year-on-year increase, according to Shenzhen Customs.

“Since the beginning of this year, our company has seen a noticeable increase in inbound travel bookings by foreign tourists, particularly those from countries covered by China’s visa-free transit policy, including South Korea, Japan, and Singapore,” said Sheng Fangli, chairwoman of Fly Via Shenzhen Aviation International Travel Group Co. Ltd.

Passenger traffic at the airport has remained high this year, according to Shenzhen Customs.

During the May Day holiday, inbound and outbound passenger numbers reached 92,000, an increase of over 31.8% year on year, setting a new record.

In a related development, the lighting system for the airport’s third runway, currently under construction, was illuminated May 30.

This milestone signals that the runway project has entered its final stage and lays the foundation for its official opening.

The new runway, located between the existing second runway and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Riverside Expressway, runs parallel to and west of the second runway.

A key project in Guangdong Province, the runway is being built on 2.8 square kilometers of land reclaimed from the sea, an area equivalent to 400 soccer fields.

The 3,600-meter-long, 45-meter-wide runway, which broke ground in 2021, is expected to start operations by the end of the year, according to the Shenzhen Municipal Public Works Bureau.

Designated as a 4F-level runway — the highest classification in civil aviation — it can accommodate large aircraft such as the A380, the world’s largest passenger plane.

The project also includes a 3,200-square-meter control tower, a 9,500-square-meter operations building, and an 800-square-meter equipment building housing systems for air traffic control, communication, navigation, monitoring, and meteorology.

With an investment of 12.3 billion yuan (US$1.76 billion), the project will significantly enhance the airport’s capacity and efficiency, enabling it to meet projected annual throughput demands of 80 million passengers and 2.6 million tons of cargo by 2030.

At present, the airport has two parallel runways on both sides of the terminal. The first began operations when the airport opened in 1991, and the second in 2011.

(Han Ximin)