China’s aviation crisis deepens with empty airports, suspended international routes: Report

Beijing/New Delhi, Jan 3 The aviation sector in China is facing a significant crisis with empty airports, suspended international routes, and mounting airline losses, according to a media report.

The situation “has become a symbol of the country’s broader economic and political isolation” by the global community, the Ceylon News wire reported. It attributed the crisis to the mismanagement of domestic as well as foreign policies.

“The eerie emptiness of China’s airports today is not merely a logistical issue but a telling indicator of deeper structural problems. Once bustling hubs of international travel, facilities such as Beijing’s Daxing International Airport now resemble ghost towns. Social media posts from travellers reveal shuttered shops, deserted terminals, and flights operating with only a handful of passengers,” the report said.

“This collapse in air traffic is not an isolated phenomenon but part of a wider trend that underscores the fragility of China’s economy and the limitations of its governance model under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” it added.

The report called out the CCP’s cost-cutting measures that led airlines, mainly state-owned Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern, to reduce services, install hard seats, and even strap cargo onto passenger seats, eroding “consumer trust”.

It noted that the government’s domestic policy of prioritising infrastructure expansion without addressing consumer confidence also left airlines overextended and unable to adapt.

At the same time, high-speed rail with cheaper and more reliable alternatives led to stiff competition and further weakened aviation’s appeal.

These challenges were compounded by China’s strained relations with Western nations, exacerbated by the ongoing US-China trade war and geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea. These discouraged international airlines from maintaining routes.

As per the report, more than 30 foreign carriers, including Virgin Atlantic, Scandinavian Airlines, and El Al, suspended flights to China by December 2024.

“Even Beijing’s unilateral visa-free policy for citizens of 38 countries has failed to reverse the decline. Inbound travel recovery rates remain dismal: only 45.2 per cent from the US, 56.2 per cent from Germany, 57.9 per cent from the UK, and 53 per cent from France as of mid-2025,” the report said.

This led to severe financial loss of more than 4.7 billion yuan ($645 million) collectively for Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern.

"The CCP’s policies, both domestic and foreign, have failed to inspire confidence, leaving the aviation industry as a cautionary tale of what happens when political priorities overshadow economic pragmatism," the report said.

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