Passenger traffic at Harbin Airport increases by almost 50% after visa-free entry for Russians
Customs processed a record 507,000 passengers in 10 months
The number of Russian tourists arriving in China via Harbin Airport has risen by 47.6 per cent following the introduction of the visa-free regime in September 2025. This was reported by Dongbeiwang, a TV BRICS partner.
According to data for the period from January to October of the current year, total passenger traffic at the airport (including departures and arrivals) reached 507,000 people. This is 21.8 per cent more than in the same period last year.
The new equipment reduced data-processing time per passenger to 10 seconds, and the throughput of the checkpoint has reached 300 people per hour.
From 15 September 2025 to 14 September 2026, a trial visa-free regime for Russians is in effect in China. As previously stated by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, the Russian side will respond to this measure in a mirror manner. The Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Maksim Reshetnikov, also stated during his visit to China that Russia intends to quadruple the flow of Chinese tourists by 2030.
Photo: Chalabala / iStock
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