On April 23, Hainan Airport Group (HNA) shared that the province has kicked off a bunch of new flights in 2025—92 international and regional passenger routes in total. Passenger numbers have also jumped, topping 2.4 million, which is a 33.64% increase compared to last year. These new routes now connect Hainan to 43 cities across 23 countries, plus Hong Kong and Macao. That’s really helping Hainan grow as a key air hub linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and reaching most countries in the RCEP and Belt and Road Initiative networks.

Passengers get ready to board. (Photo provided by Haikou Meilan International Airport)

Thanks to the expanded visa-free policies for the Hainan Free Trade Port, people from 86 countries can now visit more easily. That’s given a real boost to Hainan’s international air travel and is keeping inbound tourism on the rise.

On December 21, 2025, a new chapter in China’s aviation history took off from Sanya. The new Sanya-Prague flight isn’t just the first route launched under Hainan Free Trade Port’s new customs rules, but also China’s first-ever passenger route operating under the “seventh-freedom” right. It’s a landmark route that truly soars with freedom

Hainan’s airports are flying more often to key markets like Russia and Southeast Asia. On top of that, they’ve also launched new fifth-freedom cargo routes, like the “Tbilisi-Haikou-Paris” flight, which gives the island’s global cargo network a real boost.

By the end of 2025, Hainan hit a milestone: it had launched 14 fifth-freedom routes for passengers and cargo, plus its groundbreaking seventh-freedom passenger flight. This move is doing more than just growing its network—it’s accelerating Hainan’s shift from a popular tourist stop into a world-class hub that bridges the Pacific and Indian Oceans.