Shanghai charts world-class aviation hub future

Shanghai's international shipping center status will be further consolidated by elevating the city's international aviation hub to even greater levels, with the hub projected to handle 200 million passenger trips and 5.4 million metric tons of cargo and mail by 2035.

A comprehensive international aviation hub with global influence will take shape in the 2050s, according to a blueprint, formally known as "The New Journey of the New Era: Strategic Plan for Shanghai International Aviation Hub". The blueprint was released during the opening ceremony of the 2026 North Bund Forum, which was held in Shanghai between Oct 20-21.

"The building of a world-class international shipping center will only become a reality with a strong aviation hub," said Song Zhiyong, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. "The plan is designed to better support Shanghai's bid to become a world-class aviation hub and its role as a model of Chinese modernization."

According to Song, the eastern Chinese city, with its goal of building itself into an international center of economy, finance, trade, shipping and scientific and technological innovation, is currently operating an aviation network connecting 302 destinations in 53 countries and regions worldwide.

Under the plan, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and the new airport to be built in Nantong, Jiangsu province will operate as an integrated, highly efficient system, said Li Nuo, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Administration of China's department of development planning, during a recent aviation forum.

With the completion of the fourth phase of Shanghai Pudong International Airport by 2030, annual passenger throughput for the city's international aviation hub is expected to reach 150 million passenger trips, and cargo-and-mail throughput will grow to 4.7 million tons, laying the foundation for a leading aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region, Li said.

"The new airport in Nantong by 2035 will increase the Shanghai international aviation hub's capacity to 200 million passengers and 5.4 million tons of cargo and mail, facilitating the city's efforts to build a comprehensive international aviation hub with global influence by the middle of this century," said Li.

Zhu Zhongming, mayor of Shanghai, said the city is on track to further elevate and strengthen its role as a leading international shipping center as the Port of Shanghai, the world's largest container port for 16 consecutive years, handled 55.06 million twenty-foot equivalent units throughout 2025.

"Shanghai's two airports ranked second worldwide in cargo and mail throughput and third in passenger traffic last year," Zhu said.

Shanghai has overtaken London to take second place in the 2026 Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index, released earlier this year.

Shanghai's status as a shipping and aviation hub was further strengthened over the past year, said Zhang Xin, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, during a recent news conference.

Latest milestones include the launch of the nation's first cruise-to-nowhere trip and China Eastern Airlines' launch of the world's longest one-way flight linking Shanghai with Buenos Aires, Argentina, Zhang said.

Yang Chunfei, deputy general manager of marketing with China Eastern Airlines, said the carrier has continuously built its global network and has launched 22 direct and one-stop international services between Shanghai and global destinations since 2024, including Marseille, France; Kazan, Russia; and Casablanca, Morocco, contributing to Shanghai's global connectivity as an international hub.

"In 2026 alone, China Eastern launched 14 new international routes and restored four routes to international destinations, focusing on Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Central Asia," said Yang. "China Eastern will continue to increase its capacity in Shanghai, including by launching more international routes and further improving the connectivity of Shanghai's aviation network."

wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn