During the May Day holiday, air travel in the Xizang autonomous region experienced a significant uptick in passenger numbers and in cargo transportation.

The region recorded 985 flight movements on May 1-5, handling 111,000 passengers and 719.1 metric tons of cargo and mail — representing year-over-year growth of 19.2 percent, 10 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively.

May 1 alone saw 25,000 travelers coming, setting a new single-day record for the holiday period.

With government support and expanding air networks, air travel has become a popular choice for Tibetan residents.

The region now operates 192 air routes, connecting 81 cities and serviced by 12 airlines, ensuring extensive domestic and international connectivity. In particular, the new route from Xizang's capital of Lhasa to Pokhara in central Nepal is providing a boost to the South Asia air corridor.

From January to April, Xizang's aviation sector handled 21,000 flights, 2.29 million passengers and 16,000 tons of cargo, maintaining strong growth trends. The numbers highlighted the rising demand in both the passenger and cargo sectors, setting the stage for continued expansion.

The growth of aviation-driven tourism and logistics, combined with general aviation development, is expected to help things take off.

It will further enhance Xizang's regional connectivity, emergency response capabilities and its tourism industry – contributing to the region's sustainable economic progress.