JINAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of people traveling through Jinan airport is likely to hit 1.77 million during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush this year, the Shandong Airport Group said on Monday.

The average number of daily passengers is expected to hit 44,000, up 16 percent from the same period in 2017. The average daily inbound and outbound flights are expected to number around 330.

The 2018 Spring Festival travel rush began Thursday. The Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 16 this year.