China’s Busiest Airports and Airlines and Routes for September 2025: Aviation Market Overview

China is a nation whose reach in aviation extends far beyond this nation, whose myths indicate that the universe might have been created without a beginning or an end. After all, China helped Nepal make the Pokhara International Airport, an aerodrome that has been recently mired in controversy, or the Mattala Rajapaksha Airport, an airport that is termed as the emptiest airport in the world. But China’s aviation dwarfs the aviation of Nepal and Sri Lana- individually and collectively.

China’s top airline offered 10,073,426 seats for passengers in February 2025, while Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport welcomed 2,818,226 passengers the same month. But which are China’s busiest airlines, routes, and top airports for September 2025? Let’s analyze China’s aviation market for this month.

[ Note: The rankings were based on the data from OAG, a global air traffic data provider. The data was available when the writer last checked the website on 20th February.]

The busiest airline in China for September 2025

10. Tianjin Airlines (GS)

Tianjin Airlines overtook Juneyao Airlines by a very small margin. The number of passengers to this airport was almost seven times smaller than the busiest Chinese airport in this list.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Tianjin’s Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

Tianjin Airlines operates its Embraer 190s (having an average age of 13.3 years) to serve secondary cities, while A320s, which have an average age of 9.3 years, to cover higher-demand domestic routes.

9. Spring Airlines (9C)

Spring Airlines offered approximately 600,000 more seats than Tianjin Airlines. Its share of China’s domestic capacity was double of Tianjin’s.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Spring Airlines Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

The A320-200 operated by Spring have an average age of 11.3 years, while the A320neo is 3.8 years. The 12 Airbus A321 operated by Spring Airlines have an average age of 4.2 years.

8. Shandong Airlines (SC)

Shandong Airlines has almost one million more seats for passengers than Spring Airlines, and twice than Tianjin. Shandong’s share of domestic capacity is the same as that of Spring.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Shandong Airlines Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

Shandong operates Boeing’s aircraft types that starts and ends with number 7. It has 117 aircraft of the Boeing 737-800 type and these have an average age of 11.9 years.

7. Xiamen Airlines (MF)

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

The airline uses its 112 Boeing 737-800 as the core of its operations, with Airbus A321s and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner supplementing higher-demand routes.

6. Sichuan Airlines (3U)

Sichuan Airlines operates a full Airbus fleet – the aircraft type that start with the number A and the letter 3.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

The seven Airbus A350 XWB (the aircraft type used in some of the longest routes in the world) is 4.9 Years

5. Shenzhen Airlines (ZH)

Shenzen Airlines offers almost 600,000 more seats than Sichuan Airlines, whilst having eight aircraft less in its fleet.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

4. Hainan Airlines (HU)

Hainan has one percent more share in its share of China’s domestic capacity than Shenzen. Hainan also offers almost 600,000 more seats in September 2025.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

3. Air China (CA)

The top three carriers in China for September blaze past all the other airlines in the list as the third-standigng airline in this list is almost double of the carrier standing fourth. The share of the top three airlines of China for September 2023 is almost double (and more) of the carrier that is fourth in this list. Their fleet sizes are also greater in the same proportion.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

2. China Eastern Airlines (MU)

China Eastern Airlines offers almost two million more seats than Air China.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

1. China Southern Airlines (CZ)

China Southern Airlines is the only aircraft in this list to touch 10 million passengers.

Domestic Capacity – September 2025

Fleet Profile (as of September 2025)

Top airports in China by passengers – September 2025

In terms of airports, though, we don’t see such a massive gulf between the airport in the tenth position and the first position, as was evident in the number of seats offered by the busiest airlines in China. The first ranked airport in this list only served a million more passengers than the tenth airport in the list – Hangzhou airport.

the top ten airlines in China have their unique features: the Terminal roof of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is shaped like a traditional Chinese fan, while the Beijing Daxing International Airport is known as “starfish airport” due to its unique radial terminal design and it is also the largest single-structure airport terminal in the world.

China’s busiest routes in 2025

China’s busiest routes for 2025 have undergone some massive transformation. In February 2025, the route between Beijing Capital International Airport(PEK)  and Hongqiao International Airport(SHA) ranked first with a seat capacity of 542,709, but this route has slipped to the eighth position in September.

10. Guangzhou (CAN) – Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)

9. Chengdu Tianfu (CTU) – Beijing Capital (PEK)

8. Beijing Capital (PEK) – Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)

7. Guangzhou (CAN) – Beijing Capital (PEK)

6. Beijing Capital (PEK) – Shenzhen (SZX)

5. Guangzhou (CAN) – Hangzhou (HGH)

4. Hangzhou (HGH) – Shenzhen (SZX)

3. Chengdu Tianfu (CTU) – Shenzhen (SZX)

2. Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) – Shenzhen (SZX)

1. Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) – Shenzhen (SZX)

The most popular airline route in China, i.e., the route between SHA and SZX was the second busiest in February this year. Back then, there were 482,709 passengers on this route, a figure that has increased considerably.

Bottom Line

The significant players in China’s aviation are simailr to the ones we’ve previously seen. The busiest route in the country was the one that we saw in the rankings earlier this year, and so were the busiest airlines and airports, though we’ve seen a few names.