After four years, Prague has regained a direct connection with China, which was interrupted in 2020 by the global pandemic. Earlier today, Hainan Airlines resumed operation of its direct route from Prague to Beijing, which the carrier will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays year-round using Airbus A330 aircraft.
“I am pleased that after long negotiations we managed to resume direct flights to China. Re-launches of long-haul routes are our long-term priority, and Asia represents a very important source market. While more than 1.7 million tourists from Asia arrived in the Czech Republic in 2019, last year there were only 776 thousand Asian visitors. I firmly believe that the resumed direct connection to Beijing will be just the right stimulus for the further development of inbound tourism from China. The connection to Beijing will also be a great opportunity for Czech tourists to not only explore the Chinese capital, but thanks to connecting flights, also the whole of China and Asia,” Jiří Pos, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, said. Starting today, Hainan Airlines is to operate three flights a week to Beijing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Flights to the Chinese capital will be serviced by Airbus A330 aircraft.
China as One of the Most Important Markets
“I am very happy that, based on close cooperation with Prague Airport, we managed to negotiate the launch of this key long-haul route and thus ensure a regular connection with one of the most important markets. Without doubt, this step will significantly enhance inbound tourism in the Czech Republic. And there’s more; tourists from far-away destinations, including China, often continue onwards and travel across Europe. From our country, they head to, for example, Austria, Germany, France, and even Italy. It is logical that after having taken a long flight, they want to see more destinations at the same time. This direct connection will ultimately benefit the entire European tourism business,” František Reismüller, Director of the Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism, noted.
Hainan Airlines Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in January 1993 in Hainan Province, which is the largest Chinese special economic zone and free trade port. As one of the fastest growing airlines in China, Hainan Airlines is committed to providing passengers with comprehensive, trouble-free, and high-quality services.
Hainan Airlines Grows in Europe
“The route to Prague, which resumed today, is our company’s eleventh service to Europe. Thanks to it, we have returned to the pre-pandemic level in terms of the number of our European destinations. Hainan Airlines will continue to provide high-quality services and will try to offer travellers, whether from China or the Czech Republic, the fastest, most efficient, and best experiences and services,” Liu Jichun, International Marketing Director of Hainan Airlines, stated at the press briefing.
Hainan Airlines currently operates more than 40 international and regional routes from China for passengers from Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Haikou, Chongqing, Xi’an, Changsha, Taiyuan, Dalian, Guangzhou, and Changchun. In the future, Hainan Airlines will accelerate the resumption and expansion of international and regional flights to meet the market travel demand. As the only five-star SKYTRAX airline in mainland China, Hainan Airlines will provide customers with a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable air travel experience to support the Chinese civil aviation industry.
