Year of Dragon sees closer air links between China, Europe

The Chinese Lunar New Year of the Dragon began not only with festive celebrations across Europe, but also with closer air links to China -- a sign of economic recovery. Air China has announced that it will launch daily flights between Barcelona and Beijing starting from March 31. The company returned to the Spanish city with three weekly flights in June 2023, following a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marta Ortiz, a Spanish representative for Air China, said the company has noticed "a big change ... the prospects for the next few months are good." China's new initiative exempting Spanish passport holders from the need for a visa for short-term travels to China has also boosted the recovery of flights between the two countries, Ortiz added. Air China already has a daily flight to Beijing from Madrid airport, where Hainan Airlines runs two weekly flights to Chongqing, and China Eastern Airlines runs five weekly flights to both Shanghai and Wenzhou. Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific will resume direct flights to Hong Kong in June. The first direct flights between Barcelona and Hong Kong began in 2017, but were suspended due to the pandemic.<br/>