The traditional high alkaline process (HAP) always encounters challenges in handling pyrrhotite-rich type copper sulfide ore, especially the slow copper flotation rate and the unsatisfactory separation efficiency. In this study, HAP was optimized via pulp aeration and lime-aid grinding, and their beneficial effect was studied systematically. Mineralogical study revealed that the lost Cu in tailings was coarse-grained chalcopyrite with sufficient liberation, confirming traditional HAP was not suitable for the processing of this type ore. Batch flotation tests revealed that the flotation rate and the upper limit of Cu recovery of traditional HAP were very poor, but pulp aeration and lime-aid grinding accelerated chalcopyrite flotation significantly and further increased the upper limit of Cu recovery from 74.6% to 90.0%. Industrial tests further confirmed that the optimized process was suitable for this pyrrhotite-rich type copper sulfide ore in Dongguashan Dressing Plant, and the recovery of Cu increased from 79.8% to 87.7%, significantly. The optimized process not only break through the technical bottlenecks of traditional HAP but bring an additional profit of 207 million yuan per year approximately. Therefore, pulp aeration and lime-aid grinding were expected for widespread application in the beneficiation of pyrrhotite-rich copper mines.