Data released this morning by China’s Ministry of Transport show that an estimated 2.43 billion cross-regional passenger journeys—by road, rail, air and water—were made on 26 September, the first day of the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival. Although the figure mainly captures domestic trips, officials say it is a leading indicator for outbound flows because many travellers route through Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen before flying abroad for the subsequent National Day ‘Golden Week’. Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) expects airlines to carry 2.06 million passengers today, with Beijing, Shanghai Hongqiao and Guangzhou operating at 94 % of slot capacity. Airlines have requested 310 extra international charter flights between 28 September and 3 October, mostly to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Australia, where hotel bookings by Chinese visitors are already up 40 % year-on-year according to Trip.com. Rail operators added 1,218 trains, including overnight high-speed services on the Beijing–Shanghai and Beijing–Guangzhou corridors that link to early-morning international departures. Highways deployed an AI-driven “road-network digital twin” to predict congestion and dynamically adjust toll-lane direction—technology that logistics companies say reduced average freight transit times by 8 % compared with last year. For corporate mobility managers, the numbers translate into potential bottlenecks: Shanghai Pudong immigration lines exceeded 60 minutes during morning peaks last Golden Week and could hit 90 minutes this year. Employers with assignees leaving China are advised to remind staff to allow extra buffer time and to complete the National Immigration Administration’s new online accommodation check-out procedure, mandatory from 21 September, before heading to the airport. Travel insurers also warn that a typhoon forming near the South China Sea could disrupt flights to Hong Kong and Manila around 30 September; re-booking options may be limited once peak volumes build.
