In July, among 40 China–US routes (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), Xiamen (XMN)–Los Angeles (LAX) posted a passenger load factor of 96.64%, ranking first nationwide.
Hong Kong (HKG)–Seattle (SEA) ranked second at 95.83%, followed by Shanghai (PVG)–New York (JFK) at 95.82%.
In terms of passenger volume, the top three routes were:
- First: Taipei (TPE)–San Francisco (SFO), 102,480 passengers.
- Second: Hong Kong (HKG)–Los Angeles (LAX), 98,233 passengers.
- Third: Hong Kong (HKG)–San Francisco (SFO), 79,341 passengers.
Although the Xiamen–Los Angeles route ranked first nationwide in load factor in July, its capacity was only 7,462 seats, carrying 7,211 passengers and ranking 28th nationally by passenger volume.
Meanwhile, the Fuzhou (FOC)–New York (JFK) route had a capacity of 5,166 seats and carried 4,784 passengers, ranking 34th nationally by passenger volume. Its load factor was 92.61%.
Compared with China–US routes serving major cities nationwide, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Xiamen and Fuzhou still have considerable ground to make up. The reasons are multifaceted, but both routes have room for significant growth in the future.
The divergence between load factor and passenger volume is the most noteworthy signal in the data. Major routes serving Hong Kong and Taipei benefit from their hubs’ transit advantages, with frequent flights and ample capacity helping them capture a substantial share of trans-Pacific traffic. Xiamen–Los Angeles, by contrast, achieves near-full occupancy on strong regional demand, making it a typical example of a direct route with strong demand but limited supply. The two types of routes naturally differ in their market positioning and passenger mix.
Both China–US routes serving Fujian—Xiamen and Fuzhou—maintained high load factors, suggesting steady demand for business travel, family visits and study abroad from Fujian and its surrounding regions to the United States. However, constraints involving traffic rights, wide-body aircraft allocation, and international transit connectivity limit the scope for adding flights at present. In the near term, these routes are unlikely to match the scale of those serving established international hubs.
