China’s international flights to reach new heights, led by domestic carriers

International flights to and from China are expected to grow by nearly 31% year on year between late October and March, with Asian destinations and Chinese carriers leading the way, industry data shows. One Canadian airline also expanded so abruptly that it caught the attention of the foreign ministry in Beijing. One-way flights to and from China are anticipated to soar by nearly 40,000 to 168,871 from late October to March compared to a year earlier, according to data compiled by British aviation analytics firm OAG. The number of seats offered could also rise by 29% to 35.2m, the OAG data shows. “Generally tourism is the most important factor,” said Li Hanming, the founder of a US-based aviation consultancy. “It is winter now, so people living in northern China are flying south.” Air Canada plans to increase round-trip flights between Shanghai and Vancouver from four to seven in December, before resuming the service connecting Beijing and Vancouver the following month, according to CAAC News, a media platform affiliated with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment. The plans followed the lifting of restrictions by Ottawa earlier this month on the number of flights permitted to operate on China routes. Canada announced at the outset of the Ukraine war in 2022 that Chinese airlines could make just six round trips a week to Canada, with no direct flights to Beijing. Chinese carriers have an advantage because they can fly over Russia, while their Canadian peers are banned.<br/>