Hainan is making more international connections! On Mar. 22, Aeroflot opened three new international routes connecting the Hainan FTP with Russia: "Ufa ⇌ Sanya ⇌ Kazan", "Kazan ⇌ Sanya ⇌ Saint Petersburg", and "Saint Petersburg ⇌ Sanya ⇌ Ufa".

Passengers arrive on an international flight at Sanya Phoenix Airport. (Photo: Hainan Airport Group)

Look for more new international routes opening soon, including Haikou ⇌ Osaka on Apr. 1 and Haikou ⇌ London on May 7, Hainan’s first direct international route to the UK. Hainan also plans to increase flight frequency between Haikou and Hong Kong SAR and Bangkok, making travel to and from Hainan more convenient and promoting the development of the tourism industry.

As of Mar. 21, 2025, according to the Hainan Airport Group, this year’s passenger throughput at the island province’s three main airports (Haikou Meilan International Airport, Sanya Phoenix International Airport, and Qionghai Bo’ao International Airport) had already exceeded 500,000, an increase of 29.44% year-on-year, with total flights numbering 4,099, up 25.93% over last year’s numbers.

Haikou Meilan Airport’s one-stop comprehensive service center (Photo: Hainan Airport Group)

Thanks to the convenient entry policies of the Hainan FTP, including the 59-country visa free entry policy and the 144-hour visa-free policy, as well as strengthened cooperation this year between the Hainan Airport Group and airlines and travel agencies, Hainan’s international air connections continue to expand. On Feb. 28, the Hainan Airport Group signed cooperation agreements for 51 new international and regional routes to be opened this year, so stay tuned for more new route announcements coming soon!