Guangzhou airport prepares for return of intl travel

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Measures issued recently by the country's top joint prevention and control mechanism will stimulate the international air passenger transportation market, with more international routes to be opened in the near future, a senior airport manager in Guangzhou, Guangdong province said.

"More international routes from Guangzhou will open their services later in winter and next spring," said Qi Yaoming, vice general manager of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Co Ltd.

In a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Qi said 45 international and regional passenger service destinations had been opened at Baiyun International Airport, headquartered in Guangzhou, capital of the province.

The number of international flights currently in service at the airport has recovered to half of that in 2019, with the weekly flight volume more than doubling compared with 2021.

China has announced it will reduce the COVID-19 quarantine period for incoming travelers and close contacts from 10 days to eight and cancel circuit breakers for inbound flights, according to a notice recently released by the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism that lays out 20 measures aimed at optimizing disease control measures.

According to the notice, all passengers arriving from overseas will undergo five days of centralized quarantine plus three days of home or hotel-based isolation, compared with the previous protocol of seven days of centralized isolation plus three days of self-isolation.

The circuit-breaker mechanism, which bans flight routes if inbound international flights carry COVID-19 cases, will also be canceled. Inbound travelers will only need to provide one, rather than two, negative nucleic acid test results from within 48 hours of boarding.

"Ground service at the airport will also be improved, providing more adequate support resources for international inbound passengers as the quarantine time of high-risk post workers is shortened," he said.

Additionally, international flight fairs will also return to a rational level, with the cancellation of the circuit breaker mechanism and orderly increase of international passenger flights, according to Qi.

"Uncertainties of passengers in international travel will reduce greatly, as supply and demand will tend to balance," he said.