The weeklong Chinese New Year holiday, which kicks off on Sunday, will be a key test for China’s aviation sector. As millions of people travel home to be with their families – the first proper reunions since Covid-19 – the question is whether the same chaos seen at airports in other countries as they reopened will be replicated.

The temporary mass migration comes as Chinese airlines only just start to get their Boeing 737 Max jets back into commercial service after an almost four-year absence. There were some 90 737 Max planes that had been delivered to Chinese airlines and were subsequently grounded in March 2019.