As the HO1262 flight landed in Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) at 23:56, Dec 31 2018, it marked completion of PVG’s 19th consecutive year of in-flight safety.

The landing of the MU5160 flight on 23:45, Dec 31 2018, similarly brought 2018 to an end. It was the 31th consecutive year of flight safety for Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA). 

In 2018, the two Shanghai airports – PVG and SHA – handled a total of 771,957 flights take offs and landings (PVG: 504,792; SHA: 266,985), 117.69 million passengers (PVG: 74.05 million; SHA: 43.64 million) and 4.17 million tonnes of cargo (PVG: 3.76 million; SHA: 407,500), representing year-on year decreases of 5.2 percent in passenger volume. So far, 107 airlines have launched regular flights from the two airports, linking Shanghai to 48 countries and 300 waypoints, five of which are new international ones launched in 2018.

Flights on-time rate improved

In 2018, PVG and SHA were tested by extreme weather including snow and freezing, typhoons and severe convective situations, but their flights-on-time rate in the year’s first 11 months improved to 88.65 percent and 88.78 percent respectively. 

During the first China International Import Expo held in November 2018, the two airports performed so well in flight supporting service that their flights on-time rates reached 92.11 percent in PVG and 95.08 percent in SHA.

Smart services offer more convenience

The two airports both gained international recognition in terms of full-self-service and passenger services as they were certificated as “Platinum Airports” by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2018. The certification is the top level for an IATA “convenient travel” project.

Passengers can enjoy a “convenient travel” self-service chain with self-service check-in, self-service customs clearance, self-service baggage check-in and self-service boarding at either airport. 

SHA’s T1 is now the smartest terminal in the country with the highest rate of self-services in boarding procedures. 

PVG has 186 sets of machines available for self-service baggage check-in, available for over 20 airlines including China Eastern Airlines and Spring Airlines. It also became the first in the mainland to offer a paperless travel procedure for outbound passengers on Oct 29, 2018. With an e-ticket stored in their mobile phone, passengers can check in, undergo security checks and customs clearance, and board the plane instead of using traditional paper boarding passes.

Public services win wide praise

To become international airline hubs, the two airports have been committed to providing attentive services to passengers to international standards.

“Love channel” in PVG is now available at departure and arrival areas, providing services of free wheelchairs, security clearance, inspection and quarantine in priority for people in need. It contributes to themed restrooms and better-equipped baby care rooms to meet the increasing demands of the passengers. In addition, PVG is ready to help foreign visitors with more than 20 volunteers who can speak a total of 12 foreign languages, including Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, French, Arabian and Italian.

In March 2018, SHA came out on top with an award for the world’s best airports presented by the aviation review company Skytrax, and in September of the same year PVG was ranked second in Best Airport Service Quality (over 40 million passengers per year) by ACI, a non-profit organization representing the world's airports.