Travelers consult a staff member at Hangzhou International Airport. [Photo/Tide News]

Hangzhou International Airport handled 230,300 transfer passengers from Jan 1 to March 22, up 5.08 percent year-on-year, as expanding visa-free policies brought more overseas travelers through the city, according to local data.

Of the total, 52,600 were international transfer passengers. More foreign travelers are entering China through Hangzhou and connecting to destinations across the country, supported by a growing network of international transfer routes and upgraded airport services.

The airport's intelligent transfer service platform integrates check-in, security screening, baggage transfer, and flight connections across the full transfer process. It covers both domestic and international transfers and allows eligible passengers transferring between terminals to avoid a second security check. In many cases, passengers can continue to their onward flights without reclaiming baggage, reducing connection times compared with traditional transfer procedures.

Zhao Yijing, transfer business manager at the airport's ground services department, said the system enables remote baggage inspection by security and customs, as well as entrusted handling of abnormal baggage and smart transfer services. She said the changes have cut on-site waiting and repeated bag opening while improving inspection accuracy and customs clearance efficiency. Overall clearance efficiency has increased by 30 percent.

The airport now supports full-process transfers across terminals and airlines. The minimum connection time for international-to-domestic transfers at Terminal 4 has been reduced to 80 minutes from 120 minutes two years ago.

Transfer connectivity has also expanded. Hangzhou International Airport now has 31 international transfer routes, linking intercontinental destinations with major Asian cities including Seoul, Tokyo, and Bangkok. It has also launched 35 international through-ticket products covering six intercontinental destinations, including Moscow, Lisbon, Sydney, Auckland, and Melbourne.