Air France will operate a Beijing-Paris flight by the end of August, the first direct flight restored between the Chinese capital and Europe since the lines were closed due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the AFP Friday from corroborating sources. This will be the third weekly flight operated by the company between France and China. “ Due to Chinese health regulations, the outbound flight will be heading to Tianjin, about 100 km from Beijing. On the way back, the flight will leave from Beijing Capital airport , ”said Air France, confirming information from the French embassy in China. " France will thus be the first country in the European Union to have a direct flight from Beijing, " the embassy said in a message to French residents.
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According to the company, the flights will soon be open for sale, with operations scheduled for late August. Air France currently operates two weekly flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Shanghai. In mid-July, Air France had obtained a second weekly Paris-Shanghai flight, a few days after strong French pressure in this direction. In addition, “ in accordance with the Franco-Chinese air services agreement of June 1, 1966, Chinese companies will again be authorized to operate three weekly flights to France from next week, which will increase the number of flights to France. total of direct flights between France and China to six ”, according to the embassy.
This third service for Air France " concludes two months of intense negotiations with the Chinese authorities ", specifies the embassy, which indicates that it is continuing discussions to obtain the increase in frequencies between France and China, "in order to facilitate travel and reduce tariffs ”. Other companies have been allowed to resume direct flights between Europe and China, the embassy adds, citing KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair, Swiss, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Neos and major Chinese companies - Air China , Capital Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Juneyao Air and Xiamen Airlines.
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China, the first country where the new coronavirus was spotted at the end of 2019, has drastically reduced its air links with the rest of the world since the end of March, for fear of the arrival of Covid-19 patients. The Asian country, where the epidemic has slowed sharply with zero deaths since mid-May, has, however, allowed foreign companies since June 8 to provide a weekly connection from and to its territory.
