China’s civil aviation authorities pledged to boost the frequency of international passenger flights as a key target for this year, seeking to further revitalise international air travel.
Xu Qing, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said on Friday, Chinese and foreign airlines operated a total of 5,493 pairs of scheduled international passenger flights from May 6 to 12, about 73 per cent of the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level.
International passenger flights now connect China with 70 countries, with the addition of five new destinations since the pandemic, namely Kuwait, Serbia, Tanzania, Luxembourg and Papua New Guinea.
A number of airlines have launched new international routes to facilitate travelling between China and other countries. For example, Air China launched the Beijing-Madrid-São Paulo route on 27 April, and China Southern Airlines launched the Shenzhen-Mexico route on 11 May. In addition, Hainan Airlines is set to launch the Shenzhen-Budapest route, and China Southern Airlines will also launch the Guangzhou-Budapest route soon.
CAAC assured that it will continue to optimise the approval and strengthen support for international flights, promptly resolving any problems and challenges faced by airlines in restoring international flights, and will also promote with airlines to improve the efficiency of air traffic rights utilisation.
