On August 16, Qingdao Airport handled 104,200 passenger trips, setting a new all-time high for single-day traffic at the facility. This figure placed the airport 15th nationally for daily passenger volume, while its load factor ranked second among all airports handling over ten million passengers annually. International and regional routes contributed 12,400 passengers, marking a 10.4% year-on-year increase and securing the airport's 9th place nationwide in that category.

Since the start of the summer travel peak through August 16, Qingdao Airport has handled 4.5 million passengers, up 5.9% compared to the same period last year. During this stretch, daily traffic surpassed 100,000 passengers on 18 separate days. The airport has continuously refined its route network, deepened the integration of aviation and tourism, and strengthened its transfer service brand to drive this growth.

On the domestic front, new routes were launched to Yan'an, Nanyang, Manzhouli, Mangshi, Datong, and Dali. Frequencies were increased on more than 30 popular routes serving destinations such as Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Urumqi. Load factors exceeded 85% on 25 routes, including those to Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xi'an, and Hangzhou. Capitalizing on Qingdao's summer cultural tourism appeal, the airport introduced a series of aviation-linked tourism initiatives centered on the "ticket stub economy," including campaigns like "Fly in for a Beer" and "Fly in for a Concert." These efforts contributed to an 11% year-on-year increase in visitors from other provinces, with Shanghai, Chengdu, and Chongqing ranking as the top three source cities.

For international and regional services, load factors surpassed 90% on routes to Seoul, Busan, Taipei, and Taichung. International transfer passenger traffic grew by 34.6% year-on-year. South Korea has emerged as Qingdao's largest source of foreign visitors, with Korean入境 passenger numbers up over 20% year-to-date. Responding to strong Korean market demand, the airport increased Seoul flight frequency to an average of 17 daily departures in August, upgraded Korean Air's service to a daily wide-body aircraft operation, and will resume the Cheongju route on August 27 to offer travelers more options between China and South Korea. Additionally, international transfer passengers can now choose one of three experience tickets: an Olympic Sailing Center cruise, an underwater world visit, or a Dreamy Canghai show. Inbound travelers are also offered free access to the TV Tower through the "Qing Yi Fei" initiative.

Looking ahead, Qingdao Airport is expanding its long-haul network. The Hangzhou-Qingdao-Vancouver route will officially resume on October 2, operating weekly on Fridays with Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. Tickets are already available across major sales platforms. As the first passenger route from Shandong Province directly connecting to North America, this service will significantly boost economic, trade, and people-to-people exchanges between Qingdao, Shandong Province, and North America.