China, eager for exchanges, pledges return to pre-pandemic flight pattern
- Though its domestic travel numbers have met or surpassed their pre-pandemic levels, international trips to China have remained stagnant
- More direct flights, smoother visa process cited by authorities as helpful in boosting exchanges, investment
China will intensify its efforts to bring international flights to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with a particular focus on more direct trips to and from the United States and streamlined procedures for entry, its civil aviation regulator said on Thursday.
The declaration came as international exchanges remain at severely diminished levels one year after the country reopened its borders, undermining Beijing’s endeavours to fight decoupling and drive its economic recovery.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), direct flights between China and the US have increased to 63 per week after President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Joe Biden met in San Francisco in November.
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That weekly tally, however, is still a sharp drop from the 345 weekly trips on offer before the Covid-19 pandemic. No official data is available for passenger turnover.
China-Europe air travel volume for 2023, meanwhile, has only recovered to 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
The United States and the European Union are two major export destinations for Chinese products.
Speaking at its annual work conference, CAAC officials estimated that the number of international flights could rise to 6,000 per week by the end of this year from the current 4,600.
That would represent a return to about 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
“We’ll enhance international cooperation to boost the recovery of international markets,” they said.
Authorities have said they will promote the optimisation of visa and entry-exit policies, as well as improve customs clearance for international passengers.
Cooperation with countries included in China’s Belt and Road Initiative will also be expanded, they added, and more overseas stopovers will be pursued for Chinese carriers.
Passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia have been permitted to visit China without a visa for up to 15 days starting in December. The country has also developed several visa-free schemes to attract foreign tourists, including an agreement with Thailand to permanently waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens from March.
The world’s second-largest economy has made a near-full recovery in its domestic travel market, with air passenger traffic last year 1.5 per cent higher than 2019.
China’s air passenger traffic, domestic and international, reached 620 million people last year, representing 93.9 per cent of total traffic in 2019. That figure could rise to 690 million in 2024.
Beijing mentioned increasing “the number of international flights” at a top-level political meeting in July 2023, as the recovery had not yet matched expectations. International travel is considered essential for fostering people-to-people connections – particularly in attracting foreign capital.
