On Aug 11, the runway at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport was bustling with activity. A flight from Moscow, Russia, carrying 11 metric tons of king crabs, had just landed and begun unloading its cargo.

Moments later, a passenger jet bound for Seoul, South Korea, lifted off.

At the peak of the ongoing summer travel season, the airport handles an average of 630 flights a day — over 20 per hour — with nearly 50 passengers arriving or departing every minute.

This thriving scene in both passenger and cargo operations captures the vitality of the modern international gateway.