Report, photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Starting from 30 March 2025, China's civil aviation will officially implement the summer flight schedule. Urumqi Air, a subsidiary of HNA Aviation Group, plans to operate 33 domestic routes based on market growth demand. With Urumqi, Zhengzhou and Zhanjiang as the three major operating bases, it will open 6 new routes, resume six routes, and increase the frequency of one route. Through the "increase trunk lines, increase branch lines, and optimize time" measures, it will achieve a three-dimensional upgrade of the route network and a breakthrough in Xinjiang's regional accessibility, creating a more efficient and convenient travel experience for passengers.
In 2024, Xinjiang's tourism development is booming, with the annual number of tourists reaching a record high, and the popularity of tourism ranks among the top in the country. In order to fully respond to the strategic deployment of "prospering Xinjiang through tourism", Urumqi Air seizes the golden opportunity of Xinjiang tourism in the spring and summer of 2025. It plans to operate 24 routes in and out of Xinjiang and within Xinjiang in the new flight season, and open two new east-west backbone routes: Urumqi=Lanzhou=Yangzhou (1/3/5/7 per week) and Urumqi=Bazhong=Quanzhou (three flights per week: 2/4/6). At the same time, it will build two express lines from the Central Plains to Xinjiang: Zhengzhou=Yining (daily flight) and Zhengzhou=Lanzhou=Bole (2/4/6 per week), building an "Air Silk Road" covering key source markets such as East China, Central China, and Southwest China.
Urumqi Air plans to restore the dual-channel routes into Zhejiang from Urumqi = Qingyang = Hangzhou (1/3/5/7 per week), Urumqi = Longnan = Hangzhou (2/4/6 per week), restore the boutique tourist routes such as Kashgar = Chengdu Tianfu = Zhanjiang (daily), Kashgar = Urumqi = Zhengzhou (2/4/6 per week), and form a multi-directional interaction between the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Chengdu-Chongqing region and key tourist cities in Xinjiang. For the popular tourist loop in Xinjiang, the Urumqi = Kashgar route will add one flight on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays on the existing basis, achieving an average daily operating scale of 2 flights on this route, fully meeting the needs of passengers to travel to popular scenic spots in Xinjiang.
On the basis of continuously improving the air channel for Xinjiang tourism, Urumqi Air further upgraded the hub functions of Zhengzhou and Zhanjiang, and built a route pattern of "Central Plains directly to Tianshan, South China Sea linked to the Silk Road".
In the Zhengzhou area, Urumqi Air resumed the Zhengzhou=Zhuhai route (1/3/5/7 per week) to build a transportation network between the Central Plains Economic Zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; on the basis of the continued operation of the Zhengzhou=Aksu route, it added Zhengzhou=Yining and Zhengzhou=Lanzhou=Bole, and resumed the three Central Plains express lines into Xinjiang, namely Zhengzhou=Urumqi=Kashgar, to achieve direct connection between Henan Province and Xinjiang's three major IP scenic spots: the Ili River Valley, Sailimu Lake, and the Ancient City of Kashgar.
In the Zhanjiang area, the routes of Zhanjiang=Changsha=Jinan (1/3/5/7 per week) and Zhanjiang=Wuhan=Yinchuan (2/4/6 per week) are opened, and the routes of Zhanjiang=Chongqing (1/3/5/7 per week) and Kashgar=Chengdu Tianfu=Zhanjiang (1 flight per day) are restored, connecting the three major growth poles of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle.
Passengers from South China can also use Zhanjiang to achieve "one ticket to" the old city of Kashgar in Xinjiang and the Nanfang Seaside City, creating a cross-time and space travel experience of "drinking morning tea in the morning and watching camel bells in the evening".
