On October 2, during the National Day holiday, Qingdao Airport partnered with Capital Airlines to resume direct passenger flights between Qingdao and Vancouver, Canada, adding another transoceanic air corridor over Jiaozhou Bay.

A single route stirs North American expectations across the Jiaodong Peninsula. On the day of resumption, Qingdao Airport held an event at its terminal titled "Reunion Across the Pacific — Qingdao-Vancouver Route Resumption." The head of Qingdao Airport Group stated that the resumption of the Qingdao-Vancouver route is a milestone in the airport's development history. As currently the only intercontinental route from Shandong Province to the North American continent, it carries the mission of supporting Qingdao's higher-level opening-up and will provide a more convenient air corridor for the Jiaodong Peninsula to connect with North America and expand economic, trade and cultural exchanges. A representative from Capital Airlines said the airline will work with Qingdao Airport to operate, manage and serve this North American intercontinental route well, continuing to contribute civil aviation strength to Shandong and Qingdao's opening-up, economic development and cultural tourism exchanges. Vancouver Airport sent congratulations via video, expressing hope for deeper practical cooperation to jointly activate the aviation market potential of both regions.

"Vancouver Time" at the terminal — the resumption atmosphere is tangible and visible. The event site featured travel markets, souvenir raffles and photo check-in zones, creating a travel experience that is "browsable, tasteable and memorable." Specialty drinks such as Tsingtao Beer, Laoshan Cola and Baihuasheshecao Water, food tastings and Vancouver travel benefits promotion filled the scene with a joyful and festive atmosphere, maximizing the ceremonial feel of the resumption. Interactive raffles offering round-trip tickets between Qingdao and Vancouver brought the atmosphere to a climax. Amid the excitement, passengers' feelings were most genuine. Ms. Wang, a Qingdao resident preparing to visit relatives in Vancouver, stopped for a photo at the check-in area. She said: "Previously, going to Vancouver required a transfer. Now flying directly from Qingdao is much more convenient." Mr. Li, a business traveler who frequently shuttles between China and Canada, placed more value on time cost: "After the direct flight resumed, my business arrangements have become much more flexible." These simple words express the real convenience brought by the resumption and reflect the increasingly close personnel exchanges and economic ties between Qingdao and North America. The resumption is not just a ceremony but a "route experience" oriented toward passengers. The significance of the route's restart is reaching passengers' hearts through tangible and accessible services, integrating into the daily exchanges between the two regions.

Seeing the world from Qingdao — the international route network continues to expand. The restoration of the Vancouver route is another important move by Qingdao Airport in continuously developing its international route network and building bridges for external connectivity. Since the beginning of this year, Qingdao Airport has seized the benefits of the national visa-free policy, successively opening and resuming routes to Penang, Cheongju and Vancouver, and increasing frequency to Seoul, London, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. With the resumption of the Vancouver route, intercontinental destinations such as London, Moscow, Sydney and Melbourne together weave a denser route map for "seeing the world from Qingdao," further enhancing accessibility to North America and Europe. As of now, Qingdao Airport has cumulatively opened and operated 224 passenger and cargo routes, including 30 international and regional passenger routes. Inbound foreign passenger volume has grown significantly year-on-year, with passenger volumes from South Korea and Southeast Asia increasing by 14.6% and 85.6% respectively. Behind these figures is Qingdao Airport's clear heading of "flying farther, flying internationally, flying to emerging markets," and a solid step for the Jiaodong Peninsula to connect with the world.

Strengthening transfers and optimizing services — hub capacity steadily improves. Accompanying the route network expansion is the continuous optimization of the port clearance environment. Qingdao Airport, together with more than ten units including customs and border inspection, has continuously optimized inbound hardware renovation, improved the clearance environment, promoted the addition of two carry-on baggage pre-inspection channels, and increased clearance efficiency by over 30%. It has implemented China's first "cluster-style" cross-airline cross-border transit business, achieving "one-time check-in, baggage through-check, worry-free throughout." Meanwhile, the airport has built a comprehensive service center for international visitors, integrating four major sections — payment, cultural tourism, communications and transportation — with foreign currency exchange and full-area transportation connections handled in one stop, allowing passengers to "arrive smoothly and travel conveniently." From January to August this year, inbound foreign passengers at the port reached 440,000, a year-on-year increase of 34%. The iterative upgrading of service measures makes the "seeing the world from Qingdao" experience even warmer. Qingdao Airport, following the full process and all elements of hub construction, has systematically built service brands such as "Qingdao Easy Boarding, Qingdao Easy Accommodation, Qingdao Easy Transfer," opened an airport transit hotel providing free accommodation for eligible international transit passengers, and opened a 24-hour overnight corridor so passengers do not need to travel in the early morning. The "Qingdao Easy Transfer" service chain connecting "food, accommodation, transportation, travel and shopping" strives for smoothness at every stage — from landing and accommodation to transfer. Passengers can not only "fly" but "fly well." In the future, Qingdao Airport will continue to collaborate with airlines, customs, border inspection and other units to continuously optimize the port clearance environment, improve airport service levels and broaden Qingdao's global route network, providing efficient and convenient solutions for passengers traveling through Qingdao from various regions, and supporting Qingdao's higher-level opening-up and high-quality regional economic development.