Airports
Congestion Forcing Chinese Airlines Away from Big Three Airports
Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-700s operate out of Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport. (Photo: Boeing)
Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-700s operate out of Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport. (Photo: Boeing)

Congestion at China’s three major international airports–Beijing Capital, Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun–has quashed Xiamen Airlines’ plans to offer long-haul nonstop flights from the People’s Republic using Boeing 787s starting in August next year. Increasing demand for slots from foreign airlines and China’s four big carriers to operate point-to-point services from the three big airports leaves smaller carriers such as Xiamen no choice but to look at other Chinese cities as ports of entry into China. Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines dominate the long-haul routes from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to Europe and the U.S., mostly through one of the three big hubs.