A flight operated by Air China departed from Beijing on Tuesday, heading to Washington, marking the first direct flight from China to the US operated by a Chinese airline since the two countries further increased direct flights in the new round starting from November 9.
The world's two largest economies agreed at the recent China-US leaders' summit to further increase scheduled passenger flights early next year.
Flight CA817 departed from Beijing Capital International Airport at 12:35 am. Previously, United Airlines flight UA889 departed from Beijing Capital International Airport on November 13. These are the first direct flights under the new incremental round.
Direct flights between China and the US are expected to rise to 70 a week during the winter/spring season that began on November 9, from 48 in the previous season, with the equivalent round-trips increasing to 35 from 24. Market observers said that more direct flights will facilitate people-to-people exchanges and cross-border business activity, adding positivity to improved bilateral relations.
Multiple Chinese carriers including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines updated their China-US direct flight schedules in recent days.
