China Southern Airlines to add extra flights for National Day Holiday

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China Southern Airlines, the nation's largest carrier, said Tuesday it plans to add 1,135 flights to its schedule during the upcoming National Day Holiday.

This year's holiday, on Oct.1, marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and lasts for eight days.

The extra flights, starting on Sept. 29 until the end of the holiday, will meet increased demand for air travel.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, the traditional Chinese festival of family reunions marked by eating mooncakes, also falls during this holiday, increasing demand for air travel.

The company says the capital city Beijing is expecting a surge in the number of domestic tourists during the holiday.

Popular destinations in China include Beijing and southwestern capital cities such as Kunming, Chengdu, and Guilin. Haikou and Sanya in southern Hainan Province are among top spots for air travel.

The company said overseas travel is also popular, with the ratio of seat bookings for flights to cities such as Dubai, Tokyo, Osaka, and Seoul reaching 85 percent.