Passengers check in at the Hangzhou International Airport. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Hangzhou International Airport set a new record with nearly 160,000 passengers in a single day on Aug 12, marking the third time this summer that it has broken its all-time daily passenger record.

So far this summer, the airport has handled over 6.27 million passengers and 40,000 flights, with daily averages exceeding 145,000 passengers and 940 flights, up by 15.5 percent and 6 percent year-on-year, respectively.

The previous record-breaking days were July 31 and Aug 5, with 154,600 and 156,800 passengers, respectively.

Short-haul international routes to Japan, South Korea, and Thailand remain the most popular, with over 38 daily flights to these destinations. The airport has also enhanced its international network by restoring routes to Japan's Shizuoka and Laos' Vientiane, and adding a new intercontinental route to Melbourne, Australia.

During the Paris Olympics, flights to Europe saw a significant increase, with 60 flights carrying 14,000 passengers – double last year's numbers.

This surge in demand has led to a rapid recovery in international travel at the airport, with over 609,000 passengers and 3,577 flights recorded this summer, up 56.9 percent and 52.9 percent from last year. Domestically, new routes to popular destinations like Altay and increased frequencies on major routes have also contributed to the airport's growth, with Guangzhou and Shenzhen routes among the top 10 busiest in China.

Planes park on the apron of the airport. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]