Kunming airport handles 49.69 mil passengers in 2025, up 5.3%

Passengers get through safety checks at Kunming Changshui International Airport in central Yunnan.

Kunming Changshui International Airport in central Yunnan served a total of 49.69 million passengers in 2025, representing year-on-year increases of 5.3%.

The airport handled 340,000 aircraft movements in the same year, transporting 410,000 tons of cargo. These figures meant year-on-year increases of 3.3% and 7.0%.

A passenger's plane lands on a new runway at Kunming Changshui International Airport on December 26, 2025.

Notably, the airport opened or resumed international passenger routes to destinations such as Manado, Luang Prabang, Yangon and Jakarta, as well as international cargo routes to Chennai, Mumbai and Colombo.

It now operates 33 air routes to South and Southeast Asian destinations, serving approximately 1.2 million inbound and outbound passengers.

The policy of "24-hour direct transit without having to undergo border check procedures" was fully implemented in 2025, and as a result international transfers via the airport saw a 48% year-on-year increase.

An international has safety check-up at Kunming Changshui International Airport in central Yunnan.

During the 2026 New Year holiday from January 1 to 3, the airport handled 35,000 inbound and outbound passengers, representing a 17.7% year-on-year increase.

Reporting by Hu Xiaorong and Shu Junheng (Yunnan Daily); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue