Get your passports ready, travelers! 🧳 China is gearing up to bring international travel back to life. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has made it their mission this year to amp up the number of international passenger flights, aiming to revive the skies and reconnect the globe. 🌍
From May 6 to 12, Chinese and foreign airlines operated a whopping 5,493 pairs of scheduled international passenger flights! That's about 73% of the pre-pandemic levels. Not too shabby, right? Xu Qing, an official from the CAAC, shared these exciting stats last Friday. 📈
But wait, there's more! China is now linked by air with 70 countries, and they've added five new destinations since the pandemic hit: Kuwait, Serbia, Tanzania, Luxembourg, and Papua New Guinea. Time to update those bucket lists! 🗺️
\"We're all about supporting airlines, both Chinese and foreign, to beef up their international routes and improve the global network,\" Xu said. And airlines are totally on board. 🚀
Check out these new routes:
- Air China kicked off the Beijing-Madrid-São Paulo route on April 27. 🛫
- China Southern Airlines started flying from Shenzhen to Mexico City on May 11. 🎉
- Hainan Airlines is set to launch flights from Shenzhen to Budapest soon. 🏰
- China Southern Airlines is also opening up the Guangzhou-Budapest route. ✈️
The CAAC isn't stopping there. They're streamlining approvals and boosting support for international flights, ready to tackle any challenges airlines might face in getting back to full speed. \"We want to enhance the efficiency of air traffic rights usage to better serve international exchanges and passenger travel,\" Xu added. 🌐
So, whether you're a globetrotter itching for your next adventure or just thrilled about the world opening up again, China's move to restore international flights is a soaring step forward! 🌅
Reference(s):
China vows to actively promote restoration of international flights
cgtn.com
