China's civil aviation sector is set for a much busier 2025 winter-spring flight season, with multiple new international routes scheduled to open and foreign airlines resuming flights to China.
A total of 191 airlines are to operate 21,427 international flights a week to and from China, a year-on-year increase of 10.8 percent, connecting China with 83 countries, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Data from the CAAC showed that this season will feature a comprehensive growth in flight frequencies between China and the rest of the world. Passenger flights with 57 countries have surpassed last year's winter-spring season and cargo flights with 21 countries have exceeded the previous season's levels.
"In the new flight season, we're planning an average of over 11 percent more international and regional flights per week compared to the 2024 winter-spring season. Since last year, we've launched 23 new medium- and long-haul international routes. The upcoming Shanghai-Auckland-Buenos Aires route to be launched on Dec 4 will become the world's longest. We'll achieve full route coverage across every continent on the globe," said Wang Qian, a senior manager of VIP services of China Eastern Airlines.
The new season will see the inauguration of passenger routes to Oman and Argentina, alongside new cargo routes to Panama, Chile and Switzerland.
Passenger flights with Belt and Road partner countries accounted for 73.5 percent of the total, while passenger flights to Latin America and Africa increased by 32.1 percent and 26.1 percent, respectively, from the previous winter-spring season.
"In the past, there were very few flights to Kenya. But now there are daily ones, and you can fly there directly from many cities across China," said Peng Dexin, a Chinese passenger.
"I can fly directly from Brisbane in Australia, directly into Guangzhou, so it was very convenient to fly directly into China. I could pick from a number of days and it was a direct flight," said Markcus, a passenger from Australia.
Many foreign airlines are also pacing up to restore their routes to China.
India's IndiGo has resumed its Guangzhou-Kolkata route last month and launched Delhi-Guangzhou service on Monday. Air Algerie has also inaugurated a new Guangzhou-Algiers route.
China's civil aviation sector set for busy winter-spring flight season
