Under High-Speed Rail Expansion, China's Route Capacity Below 800 Kilometers Fell 7% Over Ten Years

On October 16, 2026, TravelDaily China reported, citing OAG flight schedule data, that comparing August 2016 with August 2026, China's domestic aviation capacity grew 65% over ten years, of which routes above 800 kilometers grew 91% and routes below 800 kilometers fell 7%. The report said that China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines reduced seat capacity on routes below 800 kilometers by 815,800 and 797,100 seats respectively, declines of 31% and 37%; China Express Airlines and Chengdu Airlines grew 178% and 184% respectively. The share of short-haul seats for the 10 largest airlines all declined by 7 to 18 percentage points, with the focus of capacity shifting to medium- and long-haul routes where high-speed rail's time advantage weakens.