The runway at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport was bustling with activity on Aug 11. A flight from Moscow, Russia, carrying 11 metric tons of king crabs, had just landed and begun unloading its cargo. Moments later, a passenger jet bound for Seoul, South Korea lifted off.

At the peak of the ongoing summer travel season, the airport handles an average of 630 flights a day — over 20 per hour — with nearly 50 passengers arriving or departing every minute. This thriving scene in both passenger and cargo operations captures the vitality of the modern international gateway.

Aug 12 marked the fourth anniversary of the airport's opening. As part of China's newest batch of 4F-class international airports — and the only one of its kind in Shandong province — Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport has cemented its position as a key aviation hub in China.

In the first half of this year, the airport recorded 92,000 flights and handled 12.6 million passengers. International and regional passenger traffic rose 23 percent year-on-year to 1.56 million. Flights and passenger traffic to Japan and South Korea ranked third in the country, with the Qingdao–Seoul express route operating more frequently than any other route in China.

To better support the city's opening-up, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport has been expanding its international route network, now offering 25 passenger routes to destinations overseas.

Its network in Japan and South Korea has been further expanded, now covering nine cities including Seoul, Busan, Cheongju, Jeju, Tokyo, and Osaka. With 55 daily round trips — one every 30 minutes — its flight frequency ranks among the highest in China. In the first half of this year alone, passenger traffic on Japan and South Korea flights reached 1.11 million, up 24 percent year-on-year.

The airport is also working to position itself as northern China's hub for fresh import transshipment, special cargo handling, and international transfers, with the goal of becoming Shandong's international air logistics center.

A bird's-eye view of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, a key aviation hub in China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]