Hainan Airlines has this week launched flights between Chongqing and Milan, as further European growth continues.
This comes as continued strong news for the Chinese passenger market, as the mainline industry grows further into the continent.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
The Chongqing-Milan Flights…
As per TravelDailyNews in Asia, Hainan Airlines will provide two weekly flights between Chongqing and Milan.
It is understood that these flights will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays.
On top of this, a trial period for unilateral visa-free policies for ordinary passport holders in Italy is in affect.
This has ran since December 1 last year and will continue until November 30 this year.
If the policy is successful, then it could be rolled out permanently by Chinese authorities.
Furthermore, it dictates that passport holders from the following countries can take advantage of this:
- Italy
- France
- Germany
- The Netherlands
- Spain
- Malaysia
All eyes will of course be on how this new test policy performs.
Growth by Chinese Carriers Elsewhere in Europe…
Within the industry, there continues to be a focus on Chinese carriers growing elsewhere in Europe.
The Hainan Airlines flights between Chongqing and Milan is a strong example of this.
However, elsewhere in Europe, another case study has arisen: Manchester.
Over the last few months, airlines in China have been battling to operate Manchester-Shanghai flights amid the country’s dispensation rules.
However, there appears to be a breakthrough, in what will be a major benefit for the UK airport.
Juneyao Air and China Eastern Airlines have been the two airlines battling it out to secure Manchester-Shanghai flights.
As per current dispensation rules by the CAAC, only one Chinese carrier can operate a specific route.
As per @SPD_Travels on X, it has been reported that Juneyao Air has won the battle against China Eastern Airlines.
It is understood that flights between Manchester and Shanghai will begin on July 3.
Looking like operations with their Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, these flights will operate on a thrice-weekly basis.
This represents another big boost to the UK airport.
As the handle on X mentions after the Juneyao Air confirmation from Manchester to Shanghai, more could happen from this.
Airlines in China have been given special permissions to operate side-by-side to the same destinations.
Brussels, London Gatwick and Frankfurt am Main International Airport all benefit from this.
If the same exceptions are given by the CAAC, then this could pave the way for China Eastern Airlines announcing flights.
Furthermore, if this was given, then this could open the floodgates to Chinese carriers operating flights.
In the context of Chongqing-Milan flights, there could be a potential for the same thing to happen in the future.
Overall…
In conclusion, the flights between Chongqing and Milan with Hainan Airlines is a good example of growth from Chinese airlines into Europe.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on how these new services perform, as well as whether there is scope to grow further.
Within the landscape of Europe as a whole, it will be interesting to see if the CAAC enables rapid growth into the continent via the exemption of special dispensation rules.
But for now, let’s see how the rest of the year performs for Chinese airlines.
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