In the first half of this year, the passenger throughput of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport reached 34.2 million. With its current growth rate, it is estimated that the passenger throughput of the airport will exceed that of Hong Kong International Airport in two years.

The remark was made by Deng Jianqing, deputy director of the Guangzhou Airport Economic Zone Management Committee in a recent interview.

Currently, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport serves 220 destinations around the world with more than 300 routes including 157 international ones. In 2017, the passenger throughput of the airport reached 65.84 million person-times, up 10.2 percent year-on-year, ranking 13th in the world. The number of overseas passengers was 15.89 million, up 17.6 percent year-on-year.

From January to June this year, the airport's passenger throughput surpassed 34.2 million, a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent; cargo and mail throughput hit 895,000 tons, an increase of 6.4 percent. Over 235,000 flights took off or landed at the airport, an increase of 3.5 percent compared with the same period last year.

The second half of the year will see an even larger passenger throughput as it will include two peak travel seasons - the summer vacation and Spring Festival, according to Deng.

The passenger throughput of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport last year exceeded 65 million passengers, surpassing Changi International Airport in Singapore. According to the Guangzhou airport's goal, it will host 70 million passengers this year, and 75 million to 76 million passengers next year, maintaining its growth target of 5 million per year.

The T2 Terminal of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport [Photo/DFIC]

The T2 Terminal of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport [Photo/DFIC]