Chartered flights spur German businesses

As more German business travelers have returned to China by chartered flights, their business resumption is expected to enter a fast track, which is key to guaranteeing the stability of industrial chain cooperation between China and Germany, experts told the Global Times.

A chartered flight from Germany landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 12:53 pm Thursday, carrying 200 managers, employees and their families, according to the German Chamber of Commerce in China.

Rouven Kasper, FC Bayern Munich President Asia, who was on that flight, told the Global Times Friday that everybody needed to pass the very controlled formalities in advance. Before departing from Germany and after arriving in China, COVID-19 tests and two-week quarantine were required despite negative test results.

“Everybody is excited to come back to China. In my opinion, the flight stands symbolically for the strong Sino-German alliance, partnership and friendship,” he noted.

The special flight was arranged by the German Chamber of Commerce in China, German diplomatic missions in China and Lufthansa Airlines, and it is the second batch of management professionals of German companies returning to China. The first arrived from Germany to North China’s Tianjin Municipality on Saturday carrying 200 Germans. However, one passenger was tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving.

The Chamber told the Global Times it expects more chartered flights to be arranged without specifying the number and dates.

China’s civil aviation regulator adjusted policies for international passenger flights, allowing more foreign carriers to resume flights to China on a once-a-week basis starting Monday.

The chartered flights indicate the mutual trust between China and Germany and reflect the need of both countries to stabilize the supply and industrial chains, Cui Hongjian, director of EU Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times Friday.