New air routes set to open for start of winter-spring season

China's civil aviation industry is preparing for a busy winter-spring season — running from Oct 29 to March 29 — with increased international flights expected.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, around 118,000 weekly passenger and cargo flights will be operated by 194 Chinese and international airlines during this period, reflecting a 1.2 percent growth from the previous winter-spring season.

Internationally, the CAAC has approved 178 airlines' applications to operate 19,327 weekly flights connecting China to 79 countries. Approximately 53.48 percent of these flights will serve 57 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, with new expansions in Latin America, Africa and North America.

The passenger flight network to Latin America and Africa is set to expand, with more flights also planned for North America. Steady progress is anticipated in traditional markets, including Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea and Europe. Meanwhile, the cargo sector has shown robust growth, with marked increases in flights to the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the United States and Canada.

To meet rising demand, airlines are adjusting routes by adding or resuming flights.

For instance, United Airlines is set to expand its Los Angeles to Shanghai Pudong route from four to seven flights weekly. Air Serbia will debut a new route from Belgrade to Shanghai Pudong, offering two flights per week.

Air China is launching routes from Urumqi to Tbilisi; from Beijing to Almaty, Cairo and Tashkent; and from Chengdu to Brussels and Almaty. China Eastern Airlines is planning a Shanghai to Cairo route, and China Southern Airlines will resume its route from Guangzhou to Perth, Australia.

In total, Air China aims to operate 105 international routes covering 44 countries and regions across 187 cities, with more than 230 international and regional flights per day, including new connections such as Shanghai to Hanoi and Urumqi to Tbilisi.

Airports across China are also scaling up their international flight offerings. Beijing Capital International Airport is expecting an average of 176 daily international flights to 82 overseas destinations, a slight increase from last year.

New destinations for the winter-spring season include Basra, Iraq, and Vladivostok, Russia, bringing the airport's total international routes to 82, two more than in the previous summer season. Beijing Daxing International Airport is also seeing growth, with airline Saudia launching a Beijing-Dammam route on Oct 28 and Singapore Airlines introducing daily flights to Singapore from Nov 11.

December will bring new routes from China Southern Airlines to Sydney and Melbourne, while Royal Air Maroc plans to resume its Beijing Daxing-Casablanca route with three weekly flights from January next year.

Despite the growth, several European airlines have announced route suspensions to the Chinese mainland due to operational and economic constraints. Virgin Atlantic plans to end its London-Shanghai service in late October due to high costs, while British Airways has suspended its London-Beijing route, and LOT Polish Airlines has paused Warsaw-Beijing flights. Lufthansa also canceled its Frankfurt-Beijing Capital route as of Oct 27, citing intense competition, although the CAAC has approved its operation, leaving room for future adjustments if market conditions improve.

Wang Changshun, chairman of the China Air Transport Association, noted that air travel demand typically declines in the winter-spring season compared to summer and autumn.

"As the Northern Hemisphere transitions into the winter-spring period, airlines adjust capacity to match seasonal demand fluctuations," he said.

Other challenges, such as Russian airspace restrictions and heightened market competition, have also impacted the industry. Despite these factors, China's civil aviation market has shown resilience, with international air passenger traffic rebounding to over 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels from 2019 since July, according to CAAC data.

The sector recorded a 78 percent year-over-year surge in international passenger volume in the third quarter, reaching 18.2 million, which contributed to a 15.2 percent increase in overall passenger volume compared to the same period in 2019.

Wang noted that geopolitical issues are also influencing the global aviation landscape.

"China's airlines are committed to fostering open and cooperative relationships with foreign counterparts to help mitigate disruptions due to political factors," he said. "By enhancing international collaboration, Chinese airlines aim to tackle emerging challenges in the aviation sector and support the steady recovery of the global market."