Passengers stand at the Beijing Daxing International Airport on March 27, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Daxing International Airport

China's civil aviation sector kicked off the summer-autumn 2026 flight season on Sunday, with more international routes planned, including to India, along with expanded C919 services. 

During the new season, Air China will increase flight frequencies on more than 10 routes, including Beijing-Warsaw, Milan, and Budapest, launch two new international routes -- Chongqing-Manila and Wenzhou-Jeju -- and resume the Beijing-Delhi route, the company told the Global Times. 

China Eastern Airlines resumed the route from Shanghai to Delhi in November 2025, making it the first Chinese airline to resume passenger services between the two markets after a five-year hiatus.

In addition, carriers are expanding C919 flight services. 

On Sunday, Air China started two new destinations—Harbin and Xiamen—for its C919 fleet, further expanding the operational network of the domestically made aircraft.

In the new season, Air China will operate 11 routes with its C919 fleet, with 24 daily flights, covering routes from Beijing to cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.

Air China crew members celebrate the maiden launch of the C919 aircraft on the Beijing-Xiamen route at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, on March 29, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Air China

China Southern Airlines told the Global Times that it plans to operate regular C919 flights on eight routes -- Guangzhou-Beijing Daxing, Xi'an, Ningbo, Nanjing, Wuhan, Wenzhou, as well as Changsha-Beijing Daxing and Xi'an. 

Since the domestically produced C919 entered commercial service with China Southern Airlines, it has connected 19 cities, the carrier said.

China Eastern said that during the new flight season, the total number of routes served by its C919 fleet will reach 19, covering 16 airports in 14 cities, including two airports in Shanghai and two in Beijing. 

Beijing Daxing International Airport said that the average daily flight volume is expected to reach 1,012, a year-on-year increase of 3.79 percent. A total of 44 airlines are expected to operate at the airport, with plans to connect 133 domestic destinations and 44 international and regional destinations.

A total of 222 domestic and international airlines plan to operate 121,000 passenger and cargo flights per week during the new flight season, roughly flat compared with the same period last year, news portal caacnews.com.cn reported on Sunday, citing data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

On international routes, 191 airlines plan to operate 21,047 flights per week, up 1.8 percent year-on-year, serving 86 countries, with Cyprus being a newly added destination, the report said. 

In addition, Chinese airlines are adding more flights into Europe. 

On Sunday, China Southern Airlines held the inaugural ceremony for its Beijing Daxing-Helsinki route at the airport, launching the carrier's first route to Finland. It's the first non-stop service from the Daxing airport to Northern Europe operated by a Chinese airline.

China Southern Airlines flight attendants pose at the inaugural ceremony of the Beijing Daxing-Helsinki route at Beijing Daxing International Airport on March 29, 2026. Photo: China Southern Airlines

Earlier, Air China launched two direct routes from China to Brussels. Starting on Tuesday, Air China began flights from Beijing to Brussels, followed by a new route from Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, to Brussels on Thursday. 

With the addition of these two routes, Air China serves 23 destinations in Europe, offering regular weekly flights and building a convenient and efficient aerial bridge for cross-border personnel exchanges, economic and trade cooperation, and cultural interaction between Asia and Europe. 

Additionally, to meet the rising demand for European flights, Cathay Pacific will add three round-trip flights to Paris and three round-trip flights to Zurich in April.