The ranking of China’s busiest airports has seen major reshuffle in 2015 following fierce competition closely linked to the speed of regional economic growth and transformation. 2015 China Airport Throughput Rankings
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Airport
Passenger throughput (trips)
2015 ranking
2014 ranking
y-o-y growth
Beijing Capital Airport
89,940,000
1
1
4.4%
Shanghai Pudong Airport
60,080,000
2
3
16.3%
Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
55,210,000
3
2
0.8%
Chengdu Shuangliu Airport
42,000,000
4
5
11.5%
Shenzhen Baoan Airport
39,720,000
5
6
9.5%
Shanghai Hongqiao Airport
39,070,000
6
4
2.9%
Kunming Changshui Airport
37,650,000
7
7
16.8%
Xian Xianyang Airport
32,650,000
8
9
11.6%
Chongqing Jiangbei Airport
32,390,000
9
8
10.7%
Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport
29,300,000
10
10
14.8%
Xiamen Gaoqi Airport
22,000,000
11
11
5.4%
Nanjing Lukou Airport
19,160,000
12
16
17.7%
Wuhan Tianhe Airport
18,940,000
13
13
9.6%
Changsha Huanghua Airport
18,670,000
14
12
3.6%
Urumqi Diwopu Airport
18,510,000
15
15
13.5%
Qingdao Liuting Airport
18,200,000
16
14
10.9%
Zhengzhou Xingzheng Airport
17,300,000
17
17
9.4%
Sanya Phoenix Airport
16,190,000
18
18
8.3%
Haikou Meilan Airport
16,170,000
19
19
16.7%
Tianjin Binhai Airport
14,310,000
20
24
18.6%
Dalian Zhoushuizi Airport
14,150,000
21
20
4.4%
Harbin Taiping Airport
14,050,000
22
23
14.8%
Guiyang Longdongbao Airport
13,240,000
23
22
5.7%
Shenyang Taoxian Airport
12,680,000
24
21
-0.9%
Fuzhou Changle Airport
10,880,000
25
26
16.3%
Nanning Wuxu Airport
10,390,000
26
25
10.4%
Beijing Vs Shanghai as China’s top aviation hub
Shanghai overtook Beijing to become China’s largest airport hub in 2015. Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao Airport together put through 99 million passengers, compared with Beijing Capital Airport’s ninety million passenger throughput and the estimated passenger throughput of less than six million at Beijing Nanyuan Airport. Air cargo throughput at Shanghai was almost twice as much as Beijing’s. Shanghai’s airports are expected to maintain high growth after the opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort in June 2016.
Overall airport growth faster in the west than in the east
The airports in China’s western regions have been seeing more rapid growth in recent years than those in the eastern regions, and the growth rates of the airports in the east were highly varied. For example in 2015, Shenyang Taoxian Airport saw a decline and Guangzhou Baiyun Airport grew less than 1%, while the growth rate of Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Beijing Capital Airport and Dalian Zhoushuizi Airport were under 5%. Yet Shanghai Pudong Airport, Nanjing Lukou Airport and Tianijin Binhai Airport achieved growth rate of above 15%. In the western regions, other than Guiyang Longdongbao Airport with a growth rate at just 5.7%, all the other airports in the region chalked up growth of above 10%.
Air transport grew faster in China’s western regions as ground transportation in the region is under developed, and the vast distance of the region makes air transport a comparatively suitable option.
Regional airport competition fueled by central government’s hub cities plan
Regional governments are concerned with whether their local airports can become regional aviation hubs and spur the city’s economic development and competitiveness. At the same time, the central government’s 13th Five-year Plan calls for accelerated development of a national network of hub cities to form new economic growth areas and spur regional development. Having a hub airport is instrumental to the regional governments’ endeavor to be a hub city. As a result, competition among regions to be hub airports and hub cities will be fierce.(Translation by David)