Chinese airline launches direct Beijing-Lisbon route

Beijing Capital Airlines has launched a new direct route between Beijing and Lisbon.

The inaugural flight departed Beijing Daxing International Airport on Monday and landed in Lisbon later the same day, marking the first direct connection between Beijing Daxing and the Portuguese capital.

The service will operate once a week, every Monday, using Airbus A330 aircraft. The journey takes approximately 13 hours.

The new route adds to the airline’s existing operations in Portugal. Beijing Capital Airlines already operates twice-weekly flights between Lisbon and Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province, a service that has been running regularly since air links between the two countries resumed following the end of China’s Covid-era travel restrictions.

At present, there are no other regular direct flights between Lisbon and Beijing, with travellers typically relying on connections through European or Middle Eastern hubs.

Speaking at a welcome ceremony organised by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal and the Chinese Embassy in Lisbon, Chinese ambassador Yang Yirui described the route as an important milestone in relations between the two countries.

“This route marks an important milestone in aviation cooperation between China and Portugal, helping to deepen bilateral collaboration in the areas of trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural exchange,” he said.

ANA’s commercial director, Karen Strougo, said the connection strengthens Lisbon’s role as an international gateway, allowing passengers arriving from China to connect onwards to destinations across Europe, Africa and the Americas through TAP Air Portugal’s network.

Meanwhile, Capital Airlines representative Coral Chen highlighted that “the successful launch of the Beijing Daxing–Lisbon route was only possible thanks to the support of the Chinese and Portuguese government authorities, civil aviation regulatory bodies, partner airports and all sectors of society”.

The launch comes as Beijing Daxing International Airport continues to expand its European network. Since the beginning of the year, the airport has added direct routes to destinations including Helsinki, Frankfurt and Milan.

The development also highlights the growing competitiveness of Chinese carriers on routes between Asia and Europe. Unlike European airlines, which remain barred from Russian airspace following sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chinese airlines continue to have access to those routes.

This allows Chinese carriers to operate shorter flight paths and lower-cost services between Asia and Europe, giving them a significant advantage over many European competitors.

Beijing Capital Airlines was established in 2010 with support from the Beijing Municipal Government and HNA Aviation Group. The carrier launched the first direct flight between China and Portugal in 2017.

According to company figures, more than 80,000 passengers travelled on its Portugal routes during the first year of operation, with load factors exceeding 95% during peak travel periods.

The new Beijing-Lisbon service is expected to operate for around three months.

Source: LUSA