Europe eyes potential of flying visits

Despite the threat of terrorist incidents, Chinese tourists continue to flock into European countries, and Chinese airlines have been responding to the demand by launching new direct flights to European destinations.

On Sept 30, Air China, China’s national carrier, introduced direct flights between Beijing and Athens, Greece. Hainan Airlines will launch non-stop flights between Shanghai and Brussels on Oct 25 and China Eastern Airlines will commence flights between Xi’an and Prague on Oct 29.

The flights between Shanghai and Brussels will be Hainan Airlines’ second route to the Belgian capital, as it also flies between Beijing and Brussels.

Prague is already linked by direct flights with Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and by the middle of next year, the Czech capital, according to the schedule, will be connected by direct flights with six Chinese cities. That will make it stand out among Central and Eastern European countries, and many Western European countries as well.

The Czech Republic aims to become a regional aviation center, and it is keen to grasp the opportunities presented by expanding its aviation and tourism cooperation with China.

It is an upward trend that is set to continue, because it is not just the residents of the large Chinese cities that are traveling overseas but even those of county-level towns.