BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s aviation regulator said it will increase domestic flights by up to 34% above pre-pandemic levels, a move that will further boost the recovery of Chinese airlines.
Major Chinese airlines reported their first quarterly results in more than three years on Friday, raising industry hopes that China’s three big state-owned airlines will finally emerge from the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China will roll out its winter and spring season flight plan on Sunday, which will last until March 30, according to the summary of a press conference held on the CAAC News website on Friday. managed by the aviation regulator.
There will be 96,651 weekly domestic flights, 34% more than in the same period four years ago, with 7,202 new weekly flights thanks to the opening of 516 new domestic routes.
According to the regulator, the increase in domestic flights is focused on connections between regional and major airports, such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
International flights, although slower to recover, are also gaining momentum. In the next five months there will be 16,680 weekly flights, and passenger flights are expected to reach 71% of the total four years ago.
Flights to and from 22 countries, including the United Kingdom and Italy, have approached or exceeded pre-pandemic levels, according to the regulator.
In the winter and spring season, weekly direct passenger flights between China and the United States are expected to increase from 48 to 70, according to a post published on the CAAC’s WeChat news account on Sunday. (Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Edited in Spanish by Ricardo Figueroa)
Source: Ambito
