China vows to actively promote restoration of int'l flights

BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- China's civil aviation authorities have committed to boosting the frequency of international passenger flights as a primary goal for this year, aiming to further revive international air travel.

Chinese and foreign airlines operated a total of 5,493 pairs of scheduled international passenger flights from May 6 to 12, representing approximately 73 percent of the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level, Xu Qing, an official of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said Friday.

At present, international passenger flights link China with 70 countries, with the addition of five new destinations since the pandemic, namely, Kuwait, Serbia, Tanzania, Luxembourg and Papua New Guinea.

"The CAAC actively supports Chinese and foreign airlines in increasing their capacity on international routes and improving the international route network," Xu said.

Several airlines have recently launched new international routes to facilitate travel between China and other countries. For example, Air China inaugurated the Beijing-Madrid-Sao Paulo route on April 27, while China Southern Airlines began operating the Shenzhen-Mexico City route on May 11. In addition, Hainan Airlines is set to launch the Shenzhen-Budapest route, and China Southern Airlines will also open the Guangzhou-Budapest route soon.

The CAAC will continue to streamline the approval and boost support for international flights, promptly addressing any issues and challenges airlines encounter in restoring international services, Xu said.

The CAAC will also guide airlines in enhancing the efficiency of air traffic rights usage, thereby better serving international exchanges and passenger travel, Xu added.