Amid global flight shortages and mounting cost pressures from geopolitical risks and rising oil prices, China’s civil aviation industry is bucking the trend, expanding capacity and aggressively growing its international route network, as reported The Global Times.
In comparison, the International Air Transport Association released data for April 2026 global passenger demand. It showed that in terms of revenue passenger-kilometers, demand fell 3.4 percent year-on-year. Excluding the Middle East, demand increased by 1.2percent. Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 3.0 percent year-on-year increase in demand.
China Eastern Airlines
On 22 June, China Eastern Airlines resumed flights from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Stockholm, Sweden, marking the official resumption of the carrier’s direct route after a six-year hiatus.
The resumption came just days after China Eastern launched its inaugural Shanghai-Zurich flight on 18 June, the carrier’s second Swiss route, following the 2025 launch of Shanghai-Geneva flights.
China Eastern Airlines will also roll out new routes from Shanghai Pudong to Tbilisi, Dublin, and Cheongju, South Korea in June and July. Preparations are underway for additional routes, including Mumbai, India.
On 16 June, Juneyao Air and China Eastern Airlines launched the second phase of their cross-carrier transfer service at Shanghai Pudong, expanding international connections to more intercontinental destinations including New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney, and Brussels.
Beijing Daxing International Airport
Since the beginning of this year, Daxing airport has opened multiple international routes, including direct flights to Helsinki, Frankfurt, and Milan, further expanding its European network.
In addition, over the past two months, Air China has launched routes from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, and Milan, Italy.
Also on 22 June, Capital Airlines launched a Beijing-Lisbon round-trip route at Beijing Daxing International Airport, marking the airport’s first non-stop service to Portugal.
Other Airlines
Hainan Airlines is also integrating the Haikou-Chongqing-Madrid route into its European route network map. The airline also expanded its daily direct service between Dublin and Beijing starting 22 June, going from 4 flights a week to 7 flights a week this summer.
The launch of routes such as China Southern Airlines’ Guangzhou-Urumqi-Frankfurt has brought more airports into the global route map, upgrading the network from single-point radiation to a nationwide grid-linked layout.
China’s aviation industry is expanding
At a time when many global airlines are scaling back capacity, China’s civil aviation industry is charting a different course. The continued expansion of international routes, particularly the launch of new services to Europe, underscores China’s firm commitment to opening up, an analyst said.
Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) shows that in the summer-autumn 2026 season (March 29 to October 24), China’s international routes will reach 86 countries and regions, with international flights growing steadily.
Over 190 airlines are scheduled to operate 21,047 international flights per week during the current season, a 1.8 percent year-on-year.
Progressive visa policies
Chinese authorities have played a key role in shaping visa policies that are drawing more travellers to China. Their contributions are bearing fruit, as data from Shenzhen airport’s border inspection authorities showed that from 1 January 1 to 17 June, the airport processed more than 457,000 inbound foreign nationals, a 32.9 percent year-on-year increase, spanning 190 countries and regions, including Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore.
Visa-free entrants accounted for 63.3 percent of the total, surging 45.5 percent year-on-year, according to CCTV News.
