Jiangsu Province's nine airports registered a passenger throughput of 3.45 million in January, up 13.1% year-on-year, which is approximately 77.1% of the level recorded in 2019 as the air transport market gradually rebounds.

Since February 6, the immigration hall of Nantong Government Services Center has been receiving about 300 people daily to apply for documents to visit Hong Kong and Macao. Nantong currently has four weekly flights to and from Macao, and booking data shows the occupancy rate has exceeded 70%.

On February 8, Juneyao Air flight HO1639 departed from Nanjing Lukou International Airport for Phuket, Thailand, marking the city's first outbound flight for group travelers in nearly three years.

Pan Wenjun, chairman of CYTS Jiangsu International Travel Service, said the travel agency has been keeping in touch with airlines and overseas partners. Pan also stated that CYTS now provides the first batch of more than 500 travel products after China resumed pilot outbound group tours to a total of 20 countries.

(Photos provided to Xinhua Daily)

According to the aviation department of the province's Transportation Department, there are currently 16 international and regional passenger routes, including those from Nanjing to Milan, Bangkok and Hanoi. Nanjing will also gradually resume flights to Bali, Chiang Mai, and other destinations.

Industry insiders note that it will take some time to fully restore the overseas travel volume. A manager of CYTS Nanjing branch said the tourism supply chain, including travel agencies, airlines and hotels, has undergone many changes in the internal and external environment in the past three years and needs time to get back on track.

Long-distance travel markets, including those to Europe and the United States, have not recovered, and Nanjing's flight to Frankfurt is primarily business travelers, according to China Comfort Travel Group.