2018 in Review: Direct flights link China and the world

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In 2018, the adopted visa waiver policy has marked a new era in tourism and trade relations between China and the world. With regards to aviation, a key pillar to the economic and commercial co-operation between the countries, the opening of international direct flights between China and the world has boosted China's inbound and outbound tourism.

China has granted mutual visa-free entry to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Qatar, Belarus and Myanmar in 2018. It's time to join CGTN and review the accomplishments of this past year and see what direct flights have been created between the aforementioned countries and China, helping you book tickets in advance and better plan for your trip.

1. The United Arab Emirates

When talking about the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first place that springs to mind might be Dubai. However, there are another six emirates in the region, each with their own different characters and charms. As Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the most popular destinations in the UAE, we mainly list the China-Dubai and China-Abu Dhabi direct flights to facilitate the travelers worldwide.

Dubai marina at night /VCG Photo

China - Dubai

A Boeing 777 from the Dubai to northwest China's Yinchuan was the first-ever for Emirates Airlines in 2016, which reflects the great potential for cooperation in trade and tourism between China and Arab countries, and this direct flight has served as a good start to link China to the Arab world.

Tips: The Dubai-Yinchuan flight is scheduled for every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Emirates Airlines /VCG Photo

Apart from flying to China's Yinchuan City, this Dubai-based carrier also flies from Dubai to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Also, China Eastern Airlines has launched direct flights from Dubai in the UAE to China's eastern metropolis of Shanghai from September 17 this year. Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines was the first Chinese carrier to operate direct flights between Dubai and Shanghai.

Now in addition to Emirates Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines have already flown from Dubai to Beijing and Guangzhou.

China - Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, also the capital of the UAE, has had an increasing number of Chinese visitors in 2018.

In April 2008, UAE's Etihad Airways launched its first direct passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to Beijing.

Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi /VCG Photo

Tips: As of now, Etihad Airlines and Hainan Airlines are the only two airlines that can fly from Abu Dhabi to Beijing directly.

In addition, China Eastern Airlines also opened the direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai.

2. Qatar

Currently, Qatar Airways, which plays a pivotal role in the growth of Qatar's tourism industry, has covered seven direct flights from its capital city of Doha to China's destinations, namely Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hong Kong.

Qatar Airways aircraft, Doha, Qatar /VCG Photo

In addition, Qatar Airways took center stage at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) this year, as it unveiled a host of its latest, state-of-the-art products and services. According to Xinhua, more than 45,000 Chinese tourists visited Qatar in 2017 and the number of Chinese travelers to Qatar would increase in the coming years.

3. Belarus

Since Belarus and China signed a memorandum to implement the visa-free policy on August 10 this year, Chinese tourists are allowed to stay in Belarus for 30 days for travel.

Minsk, the capital of Belarus and also the largest city of the country, is where travelers must land and take off. At present, there are already direct flights from Beijing to Minsk operated by Air China, and the whole flying journey is around nine hours and 20 minutes.

Holy Spirit cathedral, 1642-1687, Minsk, Belarus /VCG Photo

Tips: There are four weekly direct flights from Beijing to Minsk with Air China, currently the schedules are running every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

With an attempt to attract more Chinese tourists, the Belorussian government will consider the possibility of increasing the number of direct flights to China and it wishes to make every effort to facilitate visa liberalization as well as promote visa-free travel for Chinese tour groups.

4. Myanmar

Yangon Aerodrome Company Limited (YACL), which is in-charge of operating Yangon International Airport (YIA), is cooperating with Myanmar's state owned airline, Myanmar National Airlines (MNA), to fly between Yangon and big cities in China.

The Yangon International Airport /VCG Photo

9 Air, a low budget Chinese airline, began a direct flight between Guangzhou and Yangon on October 28 this year. And the second direct flight between Guangzhou (the capital of Guangdong Province) and Mandalay (the second-largest city in Myanmar) went into operation on October 2, 2018 to provide more services for businesses and tourists.

Shwedagon pagoda in Myanmar /VCG Photo

Today more than 10 flights run between Myanmar and China daily and new flight schedules will be arranged to fly between Yangon and more destinations in China, according to Myanmar-China tourism development meeting.

In addition, MNA will launch direct flights from Myanmar's Yangon to China's southwest city of Chengdu from December 28 this year.

At present, there are no direct flights to link China and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), however visitors can transfer in Vienna or Istanbul before arriving there.

Bosnia and Herzegovina /VCG Photo