As the 2025 winter-spring flight season commenced, Hengyang Nanyue Airport presented a strong performance report on civil aviation development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, marked by impressive operational data. In this new season, the airport plans to operate 15 routes, connecting 24 airports across 23 key cities nationwide, with an average of 17 inbound and outbound flights per day.

The air route network has evolved into a dense and comprehensive system, covering major national economic zones. Since the launch of the winter-spring flight schedule on October 26, 2025, Nanyue Airport has undergone a comprehensive enhancement in route planning. While maintaining existing airline services, two new carriers were introduced for the first time, adding three new routes linking Hengyang to Taiyuan, Jinan, and Nantong. Flight schedules to high-demand destinations such as Shanghai and Haikou have also been optimized. Currently, the airport serves municipalities directly under the central government and provincial capitals including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Kunming, extends to coastal economic hubs such as Wenzhou, Quanzhou, and Jieyang, and reaches popular tourist destinations including Xishuangbanna, Lijiang, and Sanya, forming a balanced "business and tourism" dual-driven route structure.

In terms of flight frequency, the airport has established a multi-tiered flight network. There are daily round-trip flights between Hengyang and Shanghai, daily services to seven cities including Beijing and Chengdu, and three to five weekly flights to 14 cities such as Tianjin and Chongqing. With diversified departure times spanning morning, afternoon, and evening hours, the schedule effectively meets the varied travel demands of passengers. According to officials from the airport’s Marketing Department, this seasonal adjustment has significantly increased flight density to the Yangtze River Delta, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, reinforcing the airport’s role as a regional aviation hub.

Passenger throughput has repeatedly reached record levels. During the combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday period in 2025, Nanyue Airport experienced a peak in passenger traffic: 260 flights were operated over eight days, carrying 31,828 passengers—an increase of 13% and 15.4% year-on-year, respectively. Both figures represent historical highs for the same period. Notably, on October 8, the single-day passenger volume reached 5,363, setting a new record since the airport began operations.

Reflecting on its developmental trajectory, the growth of Nanyue Airport epitomizes the "Hengyang Speed." When it commenced operations in 2014, the airport served only one airline, one route, and one destination, with an annual passenger throughput of fewer than 100,000. By 2019, this number had surged to 1.1029 million, achieving its original long-term target two decades ahead of schedule. In 2025, despite intensifying market competition, the airport is projected to sustain robust growth, with annual passenger throughput expected to exceed 1.12 million—potentially setting another historical milestone.

Infrastructure upgrades have focused on expansion and quality enhancement to build a "four-type airport" (safe, green, smart, and human-centered). To accommodate growing flight and passenger volumes, Nanyue Airport completed a major expansion and renovation project in 2021. The number of aircraft parking stands increased to 11, while fire safety and medical rescue capabilities were upgraded to Class 7 and Class 6 standards, respectively. Annual passenger handling capacity now stands at approximately 2 million. Guided by the principles of intelligence and passenger-centric service, the airport has implemented initiatives such as paperless boarding and end-to-end baggage tracking. Passenger satisfaction rates have consistently ranked among the highest for regional airports nationwide.