After Brussels-Beijing and Brussels-Shenzhen, this is Hainan Airlines' third route to China from Belgium, now double Daily flights from Belgium to China by Hainan Airlines. With additional options for travel between Europe and China, the Brussels-Shanghai (Pudong) route's resume will promote deeper cultural contact and collaboration between the two regions, the airline affirms.
Hainan Airlines reportedly intends to operate four international flights per week between Brussels and Shanghai (Pudong) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The outbound flights are expected to take 11 hours to complete, take off from Brussels International Airport at 12:00 local time and landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 5:00 local time the following day. The inbound flights are scheduled to depart from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 02:10 local time and arrive at Brussels International Airport at 08:10 local time, with an estimated flight duration of 12 hours.
To further facilitate the international travel, as of early March, China has signed visa exemption agreements with 157 countries covering various passports and reached agreements or arrangements to simplify visa procedures with 44 countries. Currently, China has unilaterally announced visa-free policies for nationals of 12 countries, 11 of which are European countries. On November 24th, 2023, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning announced China's decision to unilaterally implement visa-free policies for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. Starting March 14th this year, China has implemented a trial visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
The expansion of visa-free entry policies to more countries reflects China's vision of promoting healthy and vibrant development in inbound and outbound tourism markets.
The Brussels-Shanghai (Pudong) route will resume operations on the 10th anniversary of Belgium and China's comprehensive friendly partnership, promoting cultural exchange, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and injecting new momentum into their common development.
Hainan Airlines currently operates over 40 international and regional passenger routes from China, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Haikou, Chongqing, Xi'an, Changsha, Taiyuan, Dalian, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou. In the future, Hainan Airlines will speed up the resumption and expansion of international and regional flights to meet market demand for passengers' travels. As the only SKYTRAX Five-Star airline in Mainland China, Hainan Airlines will provide customers with safe, convenient, and enjoyable air travel experiences, to advance China's civil aviation industry.