Hainan Airlines restarted its direct flights between Beijing and Toronto on Sunday. This move comes as airlines from both the Chinese mainland and Canada are rapidly increasing and resuming direct flights between the two nations following the lifting of Canadian restrictions.
On Sunday, flight HU7975 took off from Beijing Capital International Airport at 2:20 PM and is scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 2:10 PM local time, as per a press release from Hainan Airlines received by the Global Times. The airline intends to offer one round-trip flight per week on this route.
Other airlines such as Air China, China Southern Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines are also set to expand and resume their direct services between China and Canada, according to a report by China Central Television on Sunday.
Direct flights will now connect four Chinese cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou—with the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver, the report noted.
Starting on Sunday, Air Canada has begun operating seven weekly round-trip flights between Vancouver and Shanghai.
In late October, the Canadian Transportation Agency announced the removal of restrictions on Chinese mainland airlines. An official announcement on the agency’s website detailed these changes.
These restrictions, which were initially imposed on February 3, 2022, limited Chinese mainland airlines to six weekly round-trip scheduled passenger flights to Canada and stopped direct flights from Beijing to Canada.
