Recently, China announced a significant relaxation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers from the initial 72 hours and subsequent 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days.
(Photo: China Southern Airlines)
These measures greatly facilitate international travel. With the New Year's Day and Chinese New Year Holidays approaching, the international aviation industry is welcoming a new round of travel peaks. Airlines are actively planning holiday flights to meet the growing demand for cross-border travel. What are the new changes in international routes? Let's check it out.
China Southern Airlines
It's noteworthy that China Southern Airlines has added more flights to Southeast Asia for the Spring Festival travel season. Also, a new route from Shenyang to Guangzhou and then to Dubai has been launched, operating every Saturday with an Airbus A330-300 wide-body jet. Moreover, direct flights from Beijing to Sydney and Melbourne have been added, with four flights weekly.
Note: The above flight schedules are subject to change. For the exact information, please refer to the official channels like China Southern Airlines' official website, APP, and WeChat mini-program.
China Eastern Airlines
The specific flight schedules are as follows:
Hainan Airlines
To further help the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, Hainan Airlines is actively expanding its route network. The airline is to inaugurate a new service from Haikou to Tokyo (Narita) on February 3, 2025, offering a fresh travel option for residents of Hainan heading to Japan. Concurrently, Hainan Airlines is enhancing its frequency on existing routes, including the Beijing to Toronto and Haikou to Sydney services.
Air China
Air China has optimized its routes for the winter and spring season of 2024-2025. On the one hand, new routes such as Shanghai to Hanoi and Urumqi to Tbilisi have been launched; on the other hand, frequency of popular routes including Beijing to Vancouver, Phuket, Melbourne, and Sydney have been increased to meet the needs of passengers. The following is the flight information after the increase:
Xiamen Air
Xiamen Airlines has made schedules in multiple aspects, including intercontinental routes, Southeast Asian routes, Northeast Asian routes, South Asian routes, West Asian routes, and regional routes. The specific flight schedules are as follows (please refer to local times):
Lucky Air
Lucky Air plans to launch two international routes originating from Dali starting in January 2025. The specific flight schedule is as follows (please refer to local times):
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific plans to expand its services to Australia in the summer of 2025, with the airline having opened reservations for additional flights between March 30 and October 25, 2025. The specific flight schedule is as follows (please refer to local times):
Sichuan Airlines
Sichuan Airlines increased the frequency of its Chengdu Tianfu - Vancouver route in late November 2024. The flight schedule after the increase is as follows (please refer to local times):
Asiana Airlines
The specific flight schedule is as follows (please refer to local times):
Loong Airlines
Loong Air has inaugurated a new route from Changchun to Hong Kong via Yantai. The specific flight schedule is as follows (please refer to local times):
TransNusa Airlines
On December 18th, Fuzhou Airport inaugurated a new route to the Solomon Islands. The flight will be operated by TransNusa Airlines. The specific flight schedule is as follows (please refer to local times):
Sanya Airport
On December 19, 2024, Sanya Phoenix International Airport (hereinafter referred to as Sanya Airport) inaugurated an international passenger route to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The specific flight schedules are as follows (please refer to local times):
Starting from December 20th, another airline from Uzbekistan, East Air, will also join the operation of the "Sanya - Tashkent" route.
Kuwait Airways
Kuwait Airways has increased the frequency of its flights between Kuwait City and Guangzhou. The specific flight schedules are as follows (please refer to local times):
Author: Che Zhenqing, Huang Qini
Editor: Huang Qini, Liu Lingzhi, James, Shen He
Source: WeChat official account of major airlines
