Chinese airlines have significantly increased the number of weekly flights to Spain since the end of China's zero-COVID policy in December, filling the void left by European airlines due to the
Russian airspace ban.
"We have managed to restore 60% of the direct connections (with China) that we had before the pandemic, and we hope to increase this figure by the end of the year and close the gap next year," said Miguel Sanz, the general director of Spain's tourism board Turespana.
Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Hainan Airlines have launched a total of 16 weekly flights to Madrid and Barcelona from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Chongqing in the past four months, according to Turespana. This is a significant increase from the three flights operated by Chinese airlines in late 2022.
In addition, Shenzhen Airlines is preparing to launch three flights to Barcelona, and another undisclosed airline is considering connecting a Chinese city with southern Spain.
Prior to the pandemic, airlines, including European carriers, operated 30 weekly flights during the high season between China and Spain. In 2019, Spain received 700,000 Chinese visitors. The figures for this year are not yet available.
IAG's Spanish unit, Iberia, has not resumed its Shanghai connection due to the inability to fly through Russian airspace as alternative routes are too costly.
As one of the world's most-visited countries with popular mass-tourism destinations along its Mediterranean coast, Spain seized the opportunity to diversify its connections. Turespana quickly worked to attract Chinese carriers back to Spain as soon as Beijing lifted its stringent travel restrictions.
Sanz mentioned that he was the first Western tourism official to visit China earlier this year, promoting the plan with authorities, tour operators, and airlines.
Sanz, who also chairs the European Travel Commission, highlighted similar levels of pent-up travel demand in China as in Europe or America. Spain is working to strengthen consular services in China to expedite visa approvals, he added. Photo by Sergey Kustov, Wikimedia commons.
