Over 47 million air passengers expected during Spring Festival

In a month's time, people across China will be celebrating Spring Festival, the lunar New Year, and millions will be on the move during the holiday. The travel period is called "chunyun" in Chinese, and the country's aviation authority forecasts that there will be 47.5 million air passengers, an eight percent rise from the last year.

To cope with the travel surge, airlines are expected to add 12,000 flights per week.

State-owned China Southern Airlines, the country's largest carrier, said it plans to add 8,000 flights during the period. This year's Spring Festival travel peak will last from February 4th to March 16th.

The aviation authority said that first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou will see the busiest passenger flows during the period.