Chongqing — Airlines are expanding flight services at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport for China's annual summer travel season, adding new routes and increasing frequencies to meet rising demand for graduation trips, family vacations, and leisure travel.

The expanded schedule offers travelers more options to destinations across northeastern, western, and eastern China, as well as popular mountain and coastal tourist destinations, further strengthening Chongqing's role as a major aviation gateway in western China.

Passengers wait to check in for their flights at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. (Photo/New Chongqing)

Air China, Hainan Airlines, Chongqing Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines are all increasing capacity during the peak travel period by adding new routes, restoring services, and increasing the number of flights.

Among the new destinations, Air China will launch flights from Chongqing to Jiaxing, Dalian, Mangshi, and Qingdao on July 10. The expansion will bring the airline's network from Chongqing to 38 domestic destinations and 11 international and regional destinations.

Travelers heading to western China will also benefit from improved connectivity. Chongqing Airlines will launch daily service to Xining on July 10, while Chongqing Airlines and China Southern Airlines are increasing flights to Urumqi and Yining in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. On the same day, Sichuan Airlines will resume nonstop service to Daocheng Yading, a popular alpine destination in neighboring Sichuan Province, reducing travel time to about one hour.

Travelers gather in the departure hall at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. (Photo/New Chongqing)

Additional flights are also being added to several popular summer destinations. Services to Harbin and Changchun in northeastern China will increase, while airlines are expanding flights to Hangzhou, Dali, and Lijiang. Coastal routes to Qingdao, Ningbo, Beihai, Zhanjiang and Sanya are also being strengthened to accommodate seasonal tourism demand.

Beginning July 15, Hainan Airlines will launch six new nonstop routes from Chongqing to Hohhot, Nanjing, Ningbo, Dalian, Qingdao and Harbin. The carrier will also increase frequencies on existing routes to Shenzhen, Wenzhou, Urumqi, Fuzhou, Beijing and Haikou.

Chongqing Airlines and China Southern Airlines will jointly operate 56 routes from Chongqing during the summer travel season, serving 52 domestic and international cities. Together, the two carriers plan to add more than 1,200 flights during July and August to meet higher passenger demand.

Tickets for Sichuan Airlines' restored Daocheng Yading route are now on sale. Promotional one-way fares start at 199 yuan (about $27.80), excluding taxes and fees, while discounted round-trip fares begin at 299 yuan before taxes and fees.

China's summer travel season, known as shuyun, is one of the busiest periods of the year for the country's transportation network. Airlines typically increase capacity during the school holidays as millions of students and families travel across the country.