(Yicai Global) Oct. 26 -- There has been a surge in demand for international flights to and from China recently, with ticket prices falling this month even on popular routes, according to online travel platforms. The number of international flights is expected to double in the winter and spring seasons, starting from next month.

International flights operated by Chinese airlines exceeded 2,800 between Oct. 1 and 24, while the number of inbound and outbound passengers exceeded 170,000, an increase of about 80 percent from a year ago, according to data from travel services platform Umetrip.

From Oct. 30, civil aviation authorities are set to adjust flight plans for the upcoming seasons. Carriers including China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Air China have recently announced the resumption and addition of multiple international routes to Asia, Europe and America. According to travel platform Qunar, it is estimated that international flights may double in winter and spring.

Previously, due to the pandemic and widespread flight cancellations, international tickets were much more expensive than normal. But with the resumption of international flights this month, airfares on some routes have fallen.

Prices from major European cities to China are between CNY10,000 and CNY20,000 (USD1,372 and USD2,744) and some are less than CNY10,000, according to figures from travel platform Tongcheng Travel. Tickets from Madrid, Spain to Beijing tumbled over 80 percent this month from September. The price of direct flights between China and Britain dropped by nearly 15 percent, Umetrip data showed.

There are also many flights with airfares below CNY10,000 on routes from major East and Southeast Asian cities to China. After Japan announced on Oct. 11 that it would lift inbound restrictions, the price of an economy class ticket from Tokyo to Shanghai fell to between CNY5,000 and CNY8,000 (USD686 and USD1,098).

Editor: Tom Litting