China: International Flights Updates

Hainan Airlines has filed for approval with the Civil Aviation Administration of China to commence nonstop flights between Beijing and Belgrade. Based on the application, the service would start either in July or August, upon receiving necessary permits, although July 16 has been earmarked as the target launch date. The airline has also received its requested landing slots at Belgrade Airport. Chinese carriers are beginning to restore operations to Europe following several months of coronavirus-related restrictions. Most planned flights, including the Beijing - Belgrade service, will run just once per week due to continued covid caps and restrictions in China. Hainan Airlines’ Belgrade service will originate in Dalian in Northern China, head to Beijing, after which it will be bound for the Serbian capital.

The Chinese carrier plans to operate flights from Beijing to Belgrade early each Saturday morning, arriving in the Serbian capital at 08.00 on the same day, before beginning its return journey home at 15.00. If the flights go ahead as planned, it will mark Hainan Airlines’return to Serbia after four years. The carrier commenced services from Beijing to Belgrade via Prague in September 2017 with the 292-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The airline held fifth freedom rights on the Prague - Belgrade - Prague sectors, allowing it to also sell tickets between the two European cities. However, flights were suspended in late 2018.

Hainan Airlines has operated several charter services to Belgrade since then, primarily catering for Chinese workers based in Serbia. In the pre-pandemic 2019, Beijing was the second busiest unserved route from Belgrade with 52.123 passengers flying indirectly between the two capitals. Air Serbia recently said it would soon make a decision on whether to lease a second A330 aircraft in order to launch new operations to Asia and North America, with flights to Beijing or Shanghai under consideration. The majority of passengers flying between Serbia and China currently do so via Qatar Airways, KLM and Iran’s Mahan Air. In July 2021, Serbia and China finalised a mid-term cooperation agreement up until 2025, which foresees the establishment of nonstop flights between the two countries during the second half of this year.

Nigeria’s leading airline, Air Peace, has concluded plans to extend its wings to Guangzhou, China, and Mumbai, India, with scheduled flight operations this month.

The airline has also disclosed that Israel will soon join its international network.

Spokesperson of Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, said the airline will be launching its initial one weekly flight to China on July 13, 2022.

This would be followed by two weekly flights to India also before the end of July, with the hope to increase the frequencies when operations garner momentum.  

Olisa stated that these new destinations were a further testimony to the airline’s determination to connect Nigerians seamlessly to other parts of the world and deepen socio-economic ties between Nigeria and both countries. 

He stressed that Air Peace’s entry into both countries would strengthen their bilateral ties, adding that China and India are not new terrains for the airline.

He said, “Guangzhou and Mumbai are not new terrains for Air Peace as we have operated a number of special/evacuation flights into both cities in the past. So, we are very familiar with the airspace and plans to launch Tel Aviv, Israel, are in top gear. This is also not a new space for us as you know; we have operated flights to and from the country. 

The airline further stated that it would continue to provide peaceful and strategic network connections, in line with its no-city-left-behind mantra, which the airline is aggressively implementing.

He added that the airline also has in the works two other African destinations – Malabo in Equatorial Guinea and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It would be recalled that in March 2022, Air Peace launched its Niamey route, and a few months before then, it flagged off Douala operations from Lagos and PH. 

A direct flight from Beijing landed at Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport Thursday, marking the official resumption of regular passenger flights between Hungary and China.

Direct air links between the two countries were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

The Beijing-Budapest flight will be operated by Air China every Thursday, according to plans.

The decision to resume the Beijing-Budapest flight is a milestone that will promote tourism, trade and the overall Hungarian economy, said Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian minister of foreign affairs and trade on his Facebook page earlier.

Air China launched the first direct passenger flight between the capitals of China and Hungary on May 1, 2015.

BEIJING: Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque said that Pakistan International Airline (PIA)’s weekly passenger flights on new Islamabad-Chengdu route would further facilitate people-to-people, cultural and commercial linkages between Pakistan and China.

The first direct flight PK-870 of the national flag carrier yesterday brought 209 passengers from Islamabad to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, a new destination in China in addition to Xian and Beijing. 

While PK-871 carrying 107 passengers returned on the same day from Chengdu to Islamabad. 

The first flight of PIA on new route Islamabad-Chengdu-Islamabad took place today. It would further facilitate people to people, cultural and commercial linkages between Pakistan and China, the ambassador tweeted after arrival of PK-870 in Chengdu. 

A number of Pakistanis across China have welcomed the launch of PIA direct flights on the new route saying it would offer more options to passengers travelling between Pakistan and China. 

Muhammad Shahid told CEN that PIA is vesting its network for China and now Pakistanis have more options to directly reach different cities in China. 

Before COVID-19 PIA had only one destination for China and that was Beijing. But when the pandemic started, Beijing airport was closed to all international arrival flights. PIA immediately got approval for Xi’an city, unfortunately Xi’an was closed due to the epidemic. PIA worked hard to get new stations and this results in today’s Chengdu direct flight, he added. 

Muhammad Ahmed said that this operation would not only reduce time limit but also help reduce the airfare. 

China is a very important friend of Pakistan and the largest trading partner. If China allows more stations for direct flights, it would not only bring people closer but also more trade. China should also start cargo flights to expand the bilateral trade, he added.

A Pakistani passenger before boarding the PIA flight for Islamabad at the Chengdu airport appreciated efforts of the administration of the airline for starting its operation on this important route. 

A large number of the Chinese engineers and workers from Sichuan Province work on projects being completed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and they will be benefited from PIA flights.

Starting from July 30 Conviasa will have flights between Venezuela and China with a technical stopover in Iran. The state company will have a direct service between Caracas (CCS) and Guangzhou (CAN), in what will be the company’s second destination in Asia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the Venezuelan flag carrier made multiple cargo flights to China, to mobilize medical supplies and vaccines. With this new route Conviasa will be the only South American operator to offer regular passenger flights to Baiyun International Airport (CAN).

Flight Itinerary

▪ Caracas (CCS) 22:00 – Guangzhou (CAN) 16:00+1 Saturday via Tehran (IKA)

▪ Guangzhou (CAN) 19:00 – Caracas (CCS) 13:30+1 Monday via Tehran (IKA)

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