Chinese Carriers Eye More European Routes


Beijing Capital Airlines and Hainan Airlines have each scheduled new European routes as China begins to gradually ease its tough COVID-19 restrictions on international travel.
International capacity from mainland China remains about 95% down on 2019 levels but the country’s civil aviation administration is making moves to revive more overseas flights.
Beijing Capital plans to launch a new route to Lisbon (LIS) in Portugal from Hangzhou (HGH), a city in China’s Zhejiang province with a population of around 10 million.
The LCC intends to begin flights between the destinations on Aug. 26, operating once a week using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Flights will take place on Fridays.
Beijing Capital already serves Lisbon from Xi'an Xianyang (XIY)—currently its only service to Europe—but pre-pandemic the carrier offered flights to Madrid (MAD), London Heathrow (LHR) and Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO).
Hainan Airlines has also scheduled a new European route, which could launch as soon as July 16. The airline plans to begin nonstop flights between Beijing Capital (PEK) and Belgrade (BEG) in Serbia, flying once a week.
Hainan currently serves Brussels (BRU) from Beijing Capital, as well as operating from Chongqing (CKG) to Madrid and Rome Fiumicino (FCO). On July 12, the airline also resumed flights from PEK to Moscow Sheremetyevo.
Elsewhere, Air China has returned to Budapest (BUD) in Hungary after a suspension of two years. Flights from Beijing Capital will be once a week using 237-seat A330-200s on the 7,326 km sector.