As China gears up for the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, the country’s massive population prepares for the annual Chunyun, or travel rush, to reunite with family. Among the millions making their way home is a man from Anhui province who found a unique solution to avoid the notorious traffic jams that plague this time of year.
According to a report by South China Morning Post, Mr Wang, a pilot trainer living in eastern China, faced a familiar dilemma of how to ensure his daughter’s timely arrival for Lunar New Year celebrations with his parents. Recognising the potential for hours of traffic congestion on the roads, Wang opted for a different mode of transportation. He decided to fly his seven-year-old daughter to their rural hometown in a two-seater plane.
The news outlet reported that Wang’s flight covered the distance to his parents’ home in just 50 minutes, a significant time savings compared to the usual two-hour drive. “The small aeroplane we used cost 1.1 million yuan (Rs 12826329.11) and could fly 1,200 kilometres on a full tank of fuel,” Wang explained to SCMP.
To make the flight possible, Wang had to apply for the route in advance and secure permission to park the plane at a flying camp near his parents’ residence. The unconventional mode of transportation not only ensured a swift and hassle-free journey for Wang and his daughter but also attracted attention online.
China’s Chunyun is renowned as the world’s largest annual human migration, with billions of passenger journeys expected to take place during the 40-day period from January 26 to March 5. This year’s estimated 9 billion trips, as per SCMP, represent a significant increase from the 4.7 billion trips recorded during last year’s Spring Festival.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is evident in travel patterns, with up to 7.2 billion trips expected to be self-driven, a popular choice for those seeking to avoid crowded public transport. A traveller, surnamed Peng, shared his experience with SCMP of opting for self-driving over train or plane travel since 2020 due to the pandemic.
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