First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

A total of 115 Czech tourists landed in Sanya, a major city in south China's Hainan province, on Monday aboard a Kazakh flight, the Hainan Free Trade Port's first operational air service under the "seventh-freedom traffic right."

Flight DV481, operated by Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines, left Sanya Phoenix International Airport on Sunday morning for Prague, the Czech Republic.

The return flight, DV482, arrived in Sanya on Monday, with the Czech passengers entering China smoothly.

"We would like to see this country and visit and enjoy the summer, because we have cold [weather], snow. So, this location will be the best," said a Czech tourist.

"There is a 30-day free-visa [policy] to Hainan for Czech people, so it's nice," said another tourist.

The Seventh-freedom traffic rights allow an airline to carry passengers or cargo solely between two foreign countries without any connection to the airline's home country.

"Sanya is a key city in the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Prague, as a major European tourism and cultural hub, holds significant appeal. We hope the project will be successful, because it will help significantly facilitate the travel between the two countries," said Vladimir Andreevich Sytnik, vice-president of SCAT Airlines.

"The air service is a vivid embodiment of the Belt and Road Initiative. It enhanced the regional connectivity. Launching the air service under the 'seventh-freedom traffic rights' is just an initial effort with further expansion to be planned across China and other parts of the world," said Darkhan Katyshev, deputy chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee at Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport.

As of now, Sanya has launched a total of 41 international air routes connecting 32 overseas destinations and will continue to roll out more airline services under the "seventh-freedom traffic right" and the "fifth-freedom traffic right."

"The pilot operation of the airline is a key step of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in building 'two hubs' and in constructing an international aviation and maritime transportation network after the region launched island-wide special customs operations," said Han Luhai, chairman of the Sanya Phoenix International Airport.

The "two hubs" refers to the international shipping hub for the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the aviation hub serving as a regional gateway to the Pacific and Indian oceans.

China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan FTP, the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

The eastern corridor of the China-Europe Freight Train service has seen more than 3,000 trips on it so far this year, marking a major milestone in cross-border rail transport.

A return train carrying cooking oil, automobile tires and aluminum ingots on Saturday entered China through the Manzhouli port, the country's largest inland port, bound for Wuhan in central China.

The corridor, comprising the Manzhouli, Suifenhe and Tongjiang North railway ports, now operates 27 stable routes linking more than 60 Chinese cities with 14 European countries including Poland, Germany and The Netherlands.

From January to April, the eastern corridor accounted for 32.1 percent of China's total China-Europe Freight Train traffic, with return trips making up 41.1 percent of the national total.

The China-Europe Freight Train service began operations in 2011 and has grown rapidly since the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. As of Feb 26, the eastern corridor had already witnessed more than 1,000 train trips on its railway lines for the current year, breaking the mark 26 days earlier than the figure for the previous year.

Eastern corridor of China-Europe Freight Train service witnesses over 3,000 trips in 2026