Zhu Jiangchen competes during the Snowboard Men catagory event at the 2024/25 FWT Hemu Freeride week 3 Star qualifier at the Jikepulin International Ski Resort in Altay Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Dec. 7, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Altay Xuedu Airport's passenger volume up by more than 50% in 2024, driven by rapidly developing ice and snow economy
Chinese airlines are actively exploring ice and snow-related flight routes brought by rising market demand, and official data showed that the Altay Xuedu Airport's annual passenger volume shot up by more than 50 percent year-on-year in 2024.
The annual passenger throughput of Altay Xuedu Airport reached 760,000, a year-on-year increase of 50.48 percent, with 8,467 aircraft movements, a year-on-year increase of 43.87 percent, ranking 8th in Xinjiang and 126th in the country, setting a record high, data from the local travel bureau showed on Tuesday.
To woo more travelers, the airport has established a total of 34 flight routes, comprising routes within Xinjiang and 17 inter-regional routes connecting major cities such as Urumqi, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xi'an.
In 2024, air transportation in the Altay region in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region achieved rapid development, with the passenger throughput of the three airports in the region reaching 897,000, official data added.
This growth was due to Altay's appeal as a popular destination for natural beauty, ice and snow tourism, and the airport's efforts to optimize its route network and improve services.
It is the first time for Beijing resident surnamed Guan to visit Altay. As a ski enthusiast, he has toured several ski resorts in Beijing and neighboring cities. However, he is still amazed to find such an exceptional place to enjoy skiing.
"The snow is very soft and doesn't stick to the snowboard, and the resort's supporting facilities are highly ski-friendly," he said.
He spent half a day on the high-level ski trails at the Jike Pulin International Ski Resort and he enjoyed the experience.
An aircraft from China Southern Airlines lands at Altay Xuedu Airport on February 16, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of China Southern Airlines
In the winter and spring flight seasons of 2024-25, Altay actively connected with airlines such as China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Tianjin Airlines, and opened routes such as Shanghai Hongqiao-Altay and Chongqing-Urumqi-Altay. It also increased the number of flights to destinations such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Xi'an, attracting a large number of ski enthusiasts to come.
From January 14 to February 13, more than 33,000 passengers visited Altay with China Southern Airlines, an increase of 58 percent year-on-year, with load factor rates on some routes exceeding 90 percent, data from China Southern Airlines showed.
Zheng Wei, manager of the Altay office of the Xinjiang branch of China Southern Airlines, said that during the Spring Festival travel peak, the airline operated one daily flight between Altay and Beijing Daxing International Airport, with an average passenger load factor hitting 70 percent.
Luo Jun, deputy director of the Altay Regional Development and Reform Commission in Xinjiang, said that during the Spring Festival holidays that just passed, the number of tourists received in the Altay increased by 18.92 percent year-on-year, reaching 1.2143 million, and tourism revenue was 863 million yuan ($118 million), a year-on-year increase of 20.02 percent. From the perspective of tourist sources, Altay receives 88 percent of tourists from outside Xinjiang, mainly from Guangdong, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Hubei, and Beijing.
Xinjiang Jiangjunshan Mountain International Ski Resort, a national 5S-class alpine skiing destination which is located in the heart of Altay city received 18,000 tourists in a single day on February 1, a year-on-year surge of 128 percent and a record high, he said.
Official data showed that since December 2024, the total number of tourists received every day had reached about 15,000, and the overall reception volume increased by 20 percent compared with the same period last year. In 2024, Altay received 40.1973 million domestic tourists, a year-on-year increase of 27.59 percent, and realized total tourism expenditure of 35.425 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 29.04 percent.
The local travel bureau said it plans to open more routes connecting cities such as Wuhan, Chengdu and Harbin in summer, normal a peak season.
In recent years, as winter sports and tourism surged in popularity across China, the ice and snow economy has witnessed significant growth. From winter sports to snow tourism, China is actively tapping into its ice and snow resources to create new growth drivers for the world's second-largest economy.
The sector has already reached a trillion-yuan scale, and the country aims to grow it to 1.2 trillion yuan by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, Xinhua News Agency reported earlier this month, citing an official guideline released in 2024.
Global Times
