Aircraft taxi on the runway at Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/IC]

Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, saw its annual passenger throughput exceed 16 million at 2 pm on Dec 29, setting a historic record.

The milestone comes after a year of network expansion and service upgrades. In 2025, the airport opened new routes to Phnom Penh, Phuket, Hanoi, and Vientiane, while adding frequencies to Hong Kong and Macao. The number of international and regional passenger routes has risen to 18, broadening links with Southeast Asia and strengthening regional connectivity.

As routes diversified, the passenger mix shifted. Border inspection stations have processed more than 1.12 million inbound and outbound passengers so far this year, up 21 percent year on year.

A view of the terminal and parked aircraft at Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/IC]

International passenger traffic has crossed one million for the first time, lifting its share of total throughput to 6.3 percent from 4.8 percent in 2023. Transfer passengers now account for more than 15 percent of total traffic.

Policy support has added momentum. This year, Ningbo airport was included in China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy for eligible foreign nationals. Seizing the opportunity, the airport introduced a visa-free transit tour service, increasing transit passenger numbers by 63 percent year on year.

Behind the traffic growth is a focus on operational efficiency. For domestic flights, the airport cut check-in cutoff times for passengers without checked baggage to 25 minutes before departure. It also launched same-terminal, cross-airline transfer services for domestic routes, improving transfer efficiency by about 40 percent.

New offerings, including baggage-through delivery and age-friendly facilities, were rolled out to improve the experience for frequent flyers, families, and elderly travelers.

Cargo operations expanded alongside passenger services. Leveraging its proximity to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the airport opened new all-cargo routes to Miami, Dallas, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dhaka. It also introduced an air-sea intermodal model linking Dhaka, Ningbo, and Los Angeles, providing faster and more flexible logistics options for cross-border e-commerce.