Passenger volume on international routes is growing rapidly.
The busiest airport in China this year is undoubtedly Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.
After ranking first in national passenger flow in the first half of the year, it set a new record again in the just-passed August.
Hit the highest record of national airports in China since 2020
In August, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport handled 8.394 million passenger trips, a year-on-year increase of 14.39%; aircraft takeoffs and landings reached 52,400, a year-on-year increase of 8.86%.
How impressive is this figure?
Exceeding the 8.3137 million passenger trips of Shanghai Pudong Airport in the same period, it regained the first place in the country.
More importantly, 8.394 million passenger trips set a new record for the single-month passenger throughput of China’s airports since 2020. The previous highest record was 9.045 million passenger trips set by Beijing Capital Airport in August 2018.
In other words, this time Baiyun Airport did not simply “beat Pudong”, but raised the ceiling of passenger flow of Chinese airports in the past six years to a new level.
In fact, in the first half of this year, Baiyun Airport had already achieved a passenger throughput of 43.333 million, surpassing the 42.687 million of Pudong Airport and regaining the first place in the country.
Therefore, the significance of this August is not that Baiyun suddenly overtook Pudong, but consolidated its advantage in the first half of the year.
Why was the performance so outstanding in August?
Why did Baiyun Airport perform so well in August?
According to the performance of previous years, Baiyun Airport took the lead in off-seasons, while Pudong Airport performed better during the summer vacation. As recently as July, the passenger throughput of Pudong Airport was 8.0716 million, and that of Baiyun Airport was 7.8212 million.
However, before the summer vacation ended, Baiyun overtook Pudong again in August, breaking the usual pattern.
Analysts believe that, on the one hand, there are weather factors, typhoons and other weather conditions in August have exerted certain impacts on Shanghai’s air transport, while Baiyun Airport was less affected.
On the other hand, one advantage of Baiyun Airport is being amplified, that is, its international routes.
In August, the number of passengers on domestic routes of Baiyun Airport reached 6.6109 million, a year-on-year increase of 13.73%, while the number of passengers on international routes reached 1.7066 million, a year-on-year increase of 16.55%.
The growth rate of international routes is faster than that of domestic routes, which actually reveals a signal: Guangzhou’s international exchanges are becoming more and more frequent, and international routes have become the most significant growth driver for Baiyun Airport.
Passengers on international routes are increasing continuously
What is the international accessibility capacity of Baiyun Airport?
At present, the international and regional route network of Baiyun Airport is continuing to expand, with more than 100 navigable points. In particular, markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania and the countries and regions along the “Belt and Road” are becoming an important part of Guangzhou’s international a
In the first half of this year, the number of entry-exit personnel at the Baiyun Airport port exceeded 10 million, a year-on-year increase of 21%, and the number of international route passengers in August increased by 16.55% year on year.
The logic behind this is actually easy to understand. Guangzhou itself is a highly export-oriented city, the Canton Fair, cross-border e-commerce, international business, tourism… The closer the city is connected to the world, the busier the airport will be.
Therefore, behind the surge in international passengers at Baiyun Airport is also the improvement of the city’s attractiveness and international influence.
However, the ranking of airports is never a permanent achievement. Shanghai Pudong Airport is still under expansion, Beijing Daxing Airport still has huge capacity release space, and Shenzhen Bao’an Airport is also promoting the construction of new terminal areas.
Therefore, it is not easy for Baiyun Airport to steadily maintain its position as the largest airport in the country, and it still needs continuous efforts.
What is the ranking of Baiyun Airport in the world?
At present, it can only rank ninth.
According to the data of 2025, the world’s top-ranked airport is Atlanta Airport in the United States, with a passenger flow of 106.3 million. The second and third places are Dubai Airport (95.19 million) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (91.68 million) respectively.
Compared with Atlanta Airport, Baiyun Airport still has a gap of 22.72 million passenger trips, and can only rank ninth in the world.
However, in terms of hardware facilities, Baiyun Airport has huge room for growth.
According to the plan, Baiyun Airport can meet the annual passenger throughput of 120 million passengers in the near future, and the long-term scale will reach 140 million passengers.
In 2025, the passenger throughput of Baiyun Airport was 83.59 million, leaving more than 50 million room for growth before reaching 140 million.
The permanent resident population of Guangdong Province is about 129 million, exceeding the total population of Japan. With a huge population base and the vigorous development vitality of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, it is completely foreseeable that Baiyun Airport will reach the top of the global ranking.
This article is from the WeChat official account “City War”, the author is Tinghai Moyu, and it is published with authorization from 36Kr.
