SANYA, China, Dec. 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recently, a passenger plane from Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines smoothly landed at Sanya Phoenix International Airport in China. This marks the official launch of China's first seventh-freedom passenger route, "Sanya-Prague."
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
An official from the Publicity Department of Sanya Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China stated that the seventh freedom, as a high-level form of openness in international air transport, allows foreign airlines to operate routes connecting third countries from Sanya. This benefits from China's open policies in international air transport and the policy dividends of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
"The launch of this route provides European travelers with a more direct, convenient, and comfortable intercontinental travel option," said SCAT Airlines Vice President Vladimir Sytnik. "It enables more international tourists to include Sanya in their travel options."
The opening of the new route reflects the rapid expansion of Sanya's international aviation network. Currently, Sanya has opened 41 international and regional routes, connecting 32 cities worldwide. As of December 20, the number of passenger trips at Sanya Phoenix International Airport exceeded 21.849 million, setting a new historical record, with international passenger volume surging by 46.6% year-on-year.
The enhancement of transportation accessibility has directly stimulated market vitality. Since the Hainan Free Trade Port began special customs operations, Sanya has welcomed nearly 1,000 new business entities across sectors such as tourism, high-tech industries, and modern services. A series of landmark projects have been successively implemented, including the establishment of wholly foreign-owned medical institutions and the operation of an embodied intelligent robotics innovation center, showcasing diversified trends of industrial upgrading.
In the tourism consumption sector, during the first week of the island-wide special customs operations (December 18 to 24), the total duty-free sales in Sanya reached 736 million yuan, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 48.2%; the cumulative number of tourist trips reached 635,000, up 19% year-on-year.
Source: The Publicity Department of Sanya Municipal Party Committee
