Passengers walk through Beijing Daxing International Airport on April 29, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Daxing International Airport

Following a wave of new routes launched by Chinese carriers to Europe since late March, the momentum shows no signs of slowing. Several major Chinese airlines have announced more services to European destinations, further strengthening China-Europe connectivity.

China Eastern Airlines plans to commence flights from Shanghai Pudong to Zurich, Switzerland on June 18, with three weekly rotations. This will be the second route China Eastern has opened in Switzerland, following the launch of the Shanghai-Geneva route last year. With the addition of the Shanghai-Zurich route, the total number of China Eastern's China-Europe routes will reach 29, according to the airline.

Starting on June 22, Capital Airlines will officially launch a direct route from Beijing Daxing to Lisbon, Portugal. This will be the first direct route from Daxing airport to Lisbon, and it represents another intercontinental route to the Portuguese capital established by Capital Airlines at its Beijing hub, following the airline's Hangzhou-Lisbon service.

Starting on July 2, Air China will launch a route connecting Beijing and Venice operating four times per week. With the addition of the route, the carrier will operate a total of four routes between Beijing and Italy.

The trend is echoed by visa application trends in China. Data from VFS Global, a technology services partner for diplomatic and official missions, showed on Thursday that different regions in Europe are experiencing varying growth trends in travel demands. 

In the first quarter of 2026, Italy saw particularly notable growth, while Germany also performed steadily. These figures indicate that activity in major Schengen markets has recovered, driven by demand for studying abroad, family visits, and business travel, the company told the Global Times.

Northern Europe, meanwhile, saw the highest number of countries with growth, with Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Finland collectively posting upward trends, making the region a veritable "growth highland," it said.

The growing trend in visa applications is closely mirrored by China's broader trade performance with Europe. Chinese officials have noted that China and the EU remain key economic and trade partners, with a solid foundation, strong growth momentum, and deeply integrated industrial and supply chains that have fostered a virtuous cycle of complementary strengths and mutual benefit.

Official customs data released on Saturday further underscored these deepening ties. In the first four months of the year, China's trade with the EU surged 16.6 percent year-on-year, outpacing the 14.9 percent growth rate of China's total foreign trade during the same period, data from China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed.

According to the GAC, China's trade with Germany rose 12.7 percent year-on-year, trade with France was up 20.6 percent, and trade with Italy increased 21.6 percent.