Shenyang grows northeast China transport hub role

City sees aviation, drones as crucial to development.

Shenyang in Liaoning province is boosting its competitiveness in the aviation industry and reinforcing its role as a key transport hub in Northeast China, according to the local government.

This year, the northern branch of China Southern Airlines - the largest airline in Shenyang in terms of scale - launched three direct international flights from the city to Bangkok, Vladivostok and Irkutsk, filling a gap that previously existed for direct links to Southeast Asia.

Clockwise from top: The northern branch of China Southern Airlines is the largest airline in Shenyang in terms of scale, with many domestic and international direct flights to cities in China and around the world. This year's Faku International Flying Convention in Shenyang attracts some 300 companies from home and abroad. Fifty outstanding creators and urban photographers from around the world start their 5-kilometer ride from the historic Taiyuan Street to Shenyang Kerry Center. Photos Rovided to China Daily

The company currently operates eight direct flights from Shenyang to foreign cities, including Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan, Seoul and Busan in the Republic of Korea, Bangkok in Thailand, and Vladivostok and Irkutsk in Russia. It is expected that more flights will be added to cities in North America and Southeast Asia in the near future.

In terms of domestic services, CSA's northern branch has more than 42 flights from Shenyang to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Taipei.

"Shenyang is a vital transport hub, with the largest civil airport in Northeast China, railway stations and an advanced network of expressways," said Jiang Youwei, mayor of Shenyang.

To attract more tourists from neighboring cities, the company has also launched three commuter services, combining air transport with buses, trains and routes offered by other airlines.

Thanks to a joint initiative by CSA's northern branch and Huyue Express Company, travelers from across the province can now buy tickets at local outlets in three cities - Shenyang, Anshan and Dandong - and take free buses to Taoxian International Airport.

The combined air and railway service is targeted at customers in eight cities along the route of the Harbin-Dalian high-speed railway. Travelers who buy plane tickets flying to and out of Shenyang can now take free trains to there from their home cities. The service offers tourists from three provinces in Northeast China easy access to the airport.

Shenyang's improving position as an airline hub is another of the city's trump cards.

Since 2017, CSA's northern branch has offered transfer services for travelers from Jixi, Changbaishan, Yichuan, Songyuan and Mudanjiang, benefiting about 15,000 passengers so far.

In addition to air transport, Shenyang has also emerged as a rising star in the drone industry.

The Faku International Flying Convention, held from Aug 18 to 20, invited 300 companies from home and abroad to attend.

The event featured a drone exhibition hall, aviation experience hall and aviation companies hall, showcasing the latest models of unmanned aerial vehicles, ships and cars.

As the flying convention gains widespread attention, Shenyang has developed an industrial supply chain with an inflow of capital and talent from outside the province.

The city is now seeking to make a breakthrough in its efforts to update its industrial system.