The Adora Magic City, China's first homegrown large cruise ship, will embark on a tour of Chinese port cities this year, starting with its maiden voyage from the eastern city of Qingdao in April, the brand Adora Cruises announced on Thursday.
The cruise ship will depart from the Qingdao International Cruise Port on April 6, the first trip a Adora Magic City ship sails from outside Shanghai.
The vessel will then operate two consecutive four-night, five-day international cruise itineraries covering Fukuoka of Japan, and Jeju of South Korea.
The brand's second homegrown large cruise ship, the Adora Flora City, is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2026. It will then begin its international routes from Nansha District of Guangzhou City in south China.
Adora Cruises' current two operational large cruise ships, the Adora Magic City and the Adora Mediterranean, started commercial trips in China since Jan 1, 2024 and Sept 30, 2023, respectively. To date, they have served nearly 500,000 domestic and international passengers, receiving widespread acclaim.
China's first large cruise ship to embark on domestic port city tour
China's civil aviation sector maintained steady operations in 2024, with both air passenger traffic and fixed-asset investment reaching record highs, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The industry's watchdog revealed that the country's civil aviation industry last year achieved a record passenger volume of 730 million and a cargo and mail volume of 8.98 million metric tons, with year-on-year increases of 17.9 percent and 22.1 percent, respectively.
During the same period, the number of international flights surged to weekly 6,400, reaching 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels, with the international cargo and mail volume jumping by 29.3 percent.
Thanks to record passenger numbers and steady growth in cargo volumes, the sector in 2024 reduced its losses by 19.24 billion yuan (around 2.62 billion U.S. dollars) from a year ago, hitting the break-even point and swinging back into the black.
From January to December, the sector's fixed-asset investment exceeded 100 billion yuan (roughly 13.64 billion U.S. dollars) for the fifth straight year, hitting a record high of 135 billion yuan (about 18.41 billion U.S. dollars), the CAAC highlighted.
In 2024, China's aviation infrastructure underwent significant expansion, with the addition of five new runways, 25 aircraft parking stands, and 19,000 square meters of terminal building area. This growth brought the total number of transport airports to 263, with a combined capacity to handle 1.5 billion passengers. Additionally, the first phase of control capacity improvement projects was fully implemented.
The year also saw steady progress on key projects outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), including the development of advanced air traffic control radar systems, weather radar networks, and expanded communication networks. Furthermore, the country's air route network was enhanced with the introduction of 45 new routes, spanning a total of 8,349 kilometers.
China's civil aviation sees record-high passenger trips, fixed-asset investment in 2024
