BEIJING: China’s civil aviation industry is preparing for a busy winter-spring season — running from Oct 29 to March 29 — with increased international flights expected.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, around 118,000 weekly passenger and cargo flights will be operated by 194 Chinese and international airlines during this period, reflecting a 1.2 percent growth from the previous winter-spring season.
Internationally, the CAAC has approved 178 airlines’ applications to operate 19,327 weekly flights connecting China to 79 countries. Approximately 53.48 percent of these flights will serve 57 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, with new expansions in Latin America, Africa and North America.
The passenger flight network to Latin America and Africa is set to expand, with more flights also planned for North America. Steady progress is anticipated in traditional markets, including Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea and Europe. Meanwhile, the cargo sector has shown robust growth, with marked increases in flights to the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the United States and Canada. To meet rising demand, airlines are adjusting routes by adding or resuming flights. For instance, United Airlines is set to expand its Los Angeles to Shanghai Pudong route from four to seven flights weekly. Air Serbia will debut a new route from Belgrade to Shanghai Pudong, offering two flights per week.
Air China is launching routes from Urumqi to Tbilisi; from Beijing to Almaty, Cairo and Tashkent; and from Chengdu to Brussels and Almaty. China Eastern Airlines is planning a Shanghai to Cairo route, and China Southern Airlines will resume its route from Guangzhou to Perth, Australia.
In total, Air China aims to operate 105 international routes covering 44 countries and regions across 187 cities, with more than 230 international and regional flights per day, including new connections such as Shanghai to Hanoi and Urumqi to Tbilisi.
Airports across China are also scaling up their international flight offerings. Beijing Capital International Airport is expecting an average of 176 daily international flights to 82 overseas destinations, a slight increase from last year.
New destinations for the winter-spring season include Basra, Iraq, and Vladivostok, Russia, bringing the airport’s total international routes to 82, two more than in the previous summer season. Beijing Daxing International Airport is also seeing growth, with airline Saudia launching a Beijing-Dammam route on Oct 28 and Singapore Airlines introducing daily flights to Singapore from Nov 11. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
