China is Flying High Again: Cirium Survey Shows Remarkable Consumer Confidence for a Travel Restart
Chinese travelers are leading the airline travel recovery, with 96% intending to travel, according to a new survey by Cirium, the aviation analytics company. 81% of respondents say they plan to fly at least once within the next 12 months and 50% plan to fly by this autumn. Of those planning to travel, 73% stated it was for leisure with only 24% planning business travel.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005941/en/
Cirium's new Traveler Intelligence Report reveals China is flying high again. (Graphic: Business Wire)
The pent-up demand is also reflected in China’s passenger traffic, which is showing signs of a strong recovery. As of September 2021, China traffic was at 87% of 2019 levels — way ahead the rest of Asia (42%).
The survey revealed that two thirds (66%) of Chinese travelers have taken a domestic flight since the start of the pandemic. Cirium schedules data reveal domestic travel in Q4 is primed to outpace pre-pandemic levels, growing by some 15% compared to Q4 2019.
Following months of restrictions aligned to China’s Zero-COVID policy, pent-up demand for a major return to international and regional travel is palpable.
More than half (61%) of respondents shared that they are ready to travel out of mainland China once borders are open, with Southeast Asia as the region of choice, followed by Europe, Australia/New Zealand and East Asia.
Jeremy Bowen, CEO at Cirium said: “The Cirium survey highlights the Chinese traveler’s confidence in flying domestically and pent-up demand when it comes to flying internationally. There is a clear preference for Southeast Asia, so the challenge faced is to bring back travel to other markets such as East Asia, which was a previous top destination.”
“The results also show the importance of health and safety measures, which will need to be in place to increase the confidence in traveling internationally from China.”
While Chinese travelers show confidence in flying again, 35% of those surveyed claimed that they would be less likely to travel by air, post-pandemic. They were principally concerned over health, hygiene and safety.
Almost all of the respondents (96%) support the mandatory requirement to wear a face mask when travelling by air. And over 85% support the introduction of health passports as a prerequisite to flying, and the use of apps that promote touchless travel.
When choosing an airline, respondents placed importance on mandatory mask wearing (66%), improved cleaning processes in place (65%) and proof of negative pre-departure COVID-19 test (62%).
Chinese travelers were divided when it came to the time spent at the airport. 53% of travelers claimed they will reduce the amount of time they spend at airports, compared to 21% who will look to increase their time at the airport as they feel safer with the COVID-19 safety measures in place.
The survey was carried out by independent market intelligence firm AudienceNet on behalf of Cirium. The firm interviewed over 2,060 adults in mainland China between August 30 and September 8, 2021. The margin of error in the reported data did not exceed +/-3% at the 95% confidence level.
Click here to read the full China Cirium Traveler Intelligence Report.
Additional insights on air travel in the full report include:
- The importance of flying on modern aircraft
- Future use of airport lounges
- Cabin class preferences
- Top destinations outside of mainland China
Ends
For further information please follow Cirium updates on WeChat or visit www.cirium.com.
About Cirium
Cirium brings together powerful data and analytics to keep the world moving. Delivering insight, built from decades of experience in the sector, enabling travel companies, aircraft manufacturers, airports, airlines and financial institutions, among others, to make logical and informed decisions which shape the future of travel, growing revenues and enhancing customer experiences. Cirium is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The shares of RELX PLC are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005941/en/
Contact information
For media enquiries please contact:
June Lee (APAC) / Rachel Humphries (Global)
media@cirium.com
Mindy Wang (China) at Dan Communications
shumei.wang@cirium.com
Kyoko Ishida (Japan) at Train Tracks
cirium@traintracks.jp
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Coherent Solutions closes strategic investment led by IceLake22.12.2025 17:07:00 EET | Press release
Coherent Solutions, a global digital engineering firm, has announced the closing of the strategic investment from IceLake, a leading private equity investor specializing in partnering with high-growth business services organizations. The transaction, previously announced in September 2025, has now received all necessary regulatory approvals. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222791182/en/ Coherent Solutions and IceLake close strategic investment Coherent Solutions employs ~2,000 digital engineering, product, and design professionals across Europe and Latin America. The company builds and modernizes digital products and platforms for growing scale-ups and established global brands. “In a market saturated with AI claims, we’re seeing clients prioritize partners who can convert technology into measurable business outcomes,” said Igor Epshteyn, CEO of Coherent Solutions. “Staying grounded in digital value creatio
China Industry Leaders Convene in Jianshui to Chart the Blueberry Sector’s Growth Path22.12.2025 15:32:00 EET | Press release
The Third Yunnan Blueberry Conference and the release ceremony of the “Xinhua–Yunnan Honghe Blueberry Industry Development Index Report” opened on December 19 in Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222516223/en/ The opening ceremony of the conference on 19th Dec in Jianshui. The conference has attracted scholars, experts, business representatives, and purchasers from across China, who have gathered here to explore pathways for promoting the high-quality development of the blueberry industry. During the three-day conference, organizers convened two major signing ceremonies: a cooperation agreement to jointly establish the Yunnan Blueberry Research Institute, and a strategic agreement to enhance financial support for the full industrial chain of Honghe blueberries. Outstanding organizations and individuals contributin
Modon Holding Forms Joint Venture With Related Companies and Panepinto Properties to Deliver Harborside 4, a Luxury Residential Tower Along the Waterfront in the Heart of Downtown Jersey City22.12.2025 15:17:00 EET | Press release
Modon Holding PSC (“Modon”) today announced a new joint venture to deliver Harborside 4, a 54-story residential tower on one of the last prime waterfront sites in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Modon will hold a majority equity stake alongside leading US developer Related Companies and long-established Jersey City firm Panepinto Properties (the “Joint Venture”), marking a further milestone in the Group’s strategy to scale its diversified global portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222455854/en/ Harborside 4 render (Photo: AETOSWire) Harborside 4, designed by Handel Architects, will bring 800 luxury rental apartments and condominiums to downtown Jersey City, with the building offering unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline and premium lifestyle and hospitality amenities including a marquee fitness club and concierge services. The site is minutes from Manhattan via PATH cross-Hudson rail se
Coulson Aviation Announces Launch of Boeing 767 VLAT Program22.12.2025 15:03:00 EET | Press release
Coulson Aviation USA has announced the launch of its Boeing 767 Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) program, marking a significant advancement in the evolution of aerial firefighting capability. The program is intended to provide a sustainable replacement for legacy VLAT platforms nearing the end of their operational service life. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222917730/en/ A cross-sectional view of Coulson Aviation’s Boeing 767 Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) illustrates the integration of the RADS retardant delivery system and the next generation of high-capacity, sustainable aerial firefighting design. The recent grounding of the MD11 and DC10 fleets has highlighted a structural challenge for firefighting agencies worldwide. As older widebody aircraft are retired, the industry faces a significant reduction in high-capacity, large-scale retardant delivery capability. Coulson’s 767 VLAT is being developed to address
Axelspace: Notice of Signing a Service contract for In-Orbit Demonstration with Pale Blue, Inc.22.12.2025 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Axelspace Corporation (“Axelspace”), a leading microsatellite company committed to making “Space within Your Reach,” has entered into a service agreement with Pale Blue Inc. (“Pale Blue”), a company that develops, manufactures, and sells thrusters (engines) for small satellites, for an in-orbit demonstration, as detailed below. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219321165/en/ Jun Asakawa, Co-founder & CEO of Pale Blue (left in photo) and Yuya Nakamura, President and CEO of Axelspace Axelspace provides AxelLiner Laboratory (AL Lab), a new service originating from the AxelLiner business that is specialized in in-orbit demonstration of space components. Under this contract, an in-orbit demonstration of a fast-start Hall thruster developed by Pale Blue is scheduled to be conducted in 2027. Nonetheless, conducting in-orbit demonstrations in a short period of time is known to be a significant challenge due to the in
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom