Harbin Taiping International Airport is experiencing a spike in traffic during the summer holidays, which started in early July and conclude in September, according to officials.

Statistics released by the airport revealed that as of Aug 12, it had handled 17,922 flights and 5.58 million passengers over a one and a half months period, a year-on-year increase of 1.4 percent and 2.4 percent respectively.

Since July, the average daily level of passengers in and out of Harbin Airport has reached more than 60,000 -- and on the peak day the total reached 67,000 passengers.

Incoming flights were mainly from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu Chongqing, Xi’an, Nanjing, Xiamen and Hangzhou, and the passenger attendance rate was 90 percent.

Tourism has been one of the important factors driving the development of Harbin’s airport.

Heilongjiang, as the northernmost province of China, is a popular summer resort due to its cool weather and rich tourism resources.

Heilongjiang has grand forests, numerous lakes, rivers, wetlands and a volcano, as well as various species of rare wild animals.

Representative natural scenic sites in Heilongjiang include the Wudalianchi Scenic Spot, which features five connected volcanic lakes and the Greater Khingan Range -- the largest wild forest in China, which is well preserved. There is also Jingpo Lake, the world’s second largest alpine dammed lake and Zhalong Natural Nature Reserve Area, is home to red-crowned cranes and is the largest wetland in Asia.

Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang, has been voted as one of the top three summer resorts in China and the top 20 summer tourism destinations in the world.

To cope with the large number of passengers, Harbin airport opened extra security check channels, check-in counters and expedited green channels for children, the elderly and pregnant women to shorten waiting times.

Cars park in the square in front of Harbin Taiping International Airport. [Photo/dbw.cn]