Starting from December 1, China has tried a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from six countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. After the implementation of favorable policies, many airlines have increased flight capacity on key international routes to meet the needs of passengers.
At the T3 terminal of Beijing Capital International Airport, there is a long queue of passengers in the international check-in area. The reporter interviewed several passengers and learned that they were passengers from different countries and regions, and the destinations they flew to were not the same, some went to San Francisco in the United States, some went to Tokyo, Japan, and more went to Munich, Germany.
The average number of international flights per day at Capital International Airport has reached 166, which is more than 50 flights per day compared to the previous season. Thanks to the recent favorable policies for cross-border exchanges, international flights continue to increase after entering December.
According to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, in this year's winter and spring season, in terms of international passenger flights, a total of 116 airlines have approved the plan applications for 13,004 passenger flights, involving 65 overseas countries, and the flight schedule is about 70 of the 2019 winter and spring season7%。The reporter learned that since December, domestic and foreign airlines have significantly accelerated the pace of operating international and regional routes.
Lufthansa Head of Ground Operations Asia Pacific Rudiger Monzelte: We now have 10 flights a week to Beijing and 48 flights to all parts of China, serving the international airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Going into 2024, we will definitely further increase the number of flights and plan to increase the number of flights from more than 40 per week to more than 60 per week.
Cui Hongqiang, Deputy Director of Air China's Business Committee: It is expected that by next year, our overall international routes, including those departing from Capital Airport, will be able to recover to about 90% of 2019 levels.
Industry insiders said that the relaxed entry and exit policies are superimposed on the upcoming New Year's Day and Spring Festival holidays, and it is expected that the end of this year and the beginning of next year will usher in the peak of passenger departures.
Si Rong, General Manager of the Aviation Business Department of Beijing Capital International Airport: From January to November this year, our international and regional passenger throughput has reached 6.71 million passengers, and according to **, the international and regional passenger throughput of Capital International Airport will be close to 8 million by the end of the year.