Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport has seen a sharp surge in cross‑border passenger traffic fueled by a series of favorable policies since the start of the summer travel season. According to the Qingdao Airport Border Inspection Station under the Shandong General Station of Immigration Inspection, total inbound and outbound travelers at the airport reached 2 million as of 1:45 p.m. on July 30—43 days earlier than the same milestone last year. Both passenger traffic and flight volume have risen year‑on‑year by 23.7% and 14% respectively, marking the highest levels since the airport’s relocation.

The terminal at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport was bustling with activity on July 30 with passengers crowding the international check‑in counters of various airlines to process their boarding passes and check in their luggage. China's continued rollout of measures since the start of the year to facilitate travel for foreign visitors—coupled with a string of major international events in Shandong and Qingdao, including the SCO Summer programs, the 6th Qingdao Multinationals Summit, the Shandong International Friendship Cities Cooperation and Exchange Week, and the Qingdao International Friendship City Exchange Month—has drawn increasing numbers of overseas travelers to enter and exit through the airport.

"Nearly 280,000 foreign nationals have entered China through Qingdao Airport so far this year as international exchanges, trade, and cultural interactions deepen. 73% of such entry is due to various visa‑free entry policies," said Director of the Shandong Provincial Border Inspection Division at the Qingdao Airport Border Inspection Station Bian Feng. South Korea remains one of Qingdao's largest sources of inbound travelers, he said, with over 199,000 South Korean nationals passing through the airport this year—a 53% increase compared to the same period last year.

The summer travel rush has brought a surge of outbound and inbound traffic at Qingdao Airport driven by family vacations, study tours, and visits to relatives and friends since the start of July with most Mainland Chinese travelers departing from Qingdao heading for destinations in East and Southeast Asia. More than 680,000 Mainland China residents had departed through the airport as of 1:00 p.m. on July 30—an increase of 16.8% compared to the same period last year.