Air China is expected to launch the Beijing-Copenhagen-Reykjavik route, the first scheduled passenger route operated by a Chinese mainland airline to Iceland on October 26, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Air China

Air China is expected to launch the Beijing-Copenhagen-Reykjavik route on Monday, the first scheduled passenger route operated by a Chinese mainland based airline to Iceland.

It is the latest route to be launched as China is entering the 2026-2027 winter and spring season, as Chinese airlines open more international routes and improve international air connectivity.

With a total flight time of approximately 15 hours and 45 minutes, it will be the only scheduled passenger route connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with Iceland, the airline told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Air China said that the route will further enrich its Nordic route product matrix and consolidate its position as a core carrier in the China-Europe market.

Air China has opened new European routes this year from Beijing to Brussels, Venice, Bucharest and Zagreb. Entering winter and spring flight season, Air China's European route network has reached 36 routes, serving 24 destinations in 19 countries and regions with about 480 flights per week, continuously building a China-Europe air transport network with broad coverage and strong connectivity.

China's civil aviation sector switched to the winter and spring flight schedule on Sunday, with a comprehensive increase in international passenger flights.

China Southern Airlines said that during the new season, it continues to add new international and regional routes from Beijing Daxing via Urumqi to major cities in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries, including Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan and Ashgabat. China Southern now serves 19 international destinations from Beijing, weaving a dense air transport network for high-level connectivity.

Under the new schedule from October 25, 2026 to March 27, 2027, a total of 216 domestic and foreign airlines plan to operate 116,000 passenger and cargo flights per week, according to the official website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The CAAC said that passenger flights to Central Asia, South Asia, North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America will increase year-on-year, with the number of flights to 17 countries, including Kazakhstan, India, Canada and Belgium, rising by more than 40 percent. 

Flights between China and BRI partner countries will grow faster than the industry average, and the number of countries with direct air links will increase. 

In the new season, Chinese and foreign airlines will launch new scheduled passenger routes to Iceland, Madagascar and Jordan, adding eight new international destinations and further improving international air connectivity. 

In addition, the inbound tourism air transport market will see significant growth. 

International passenger flights between China and 15 major inbound tourist source countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, will increase by 14.4 percent year-on-year, while flight volume on 16 premium inbound tourism routes, such as Moscow-Haikou, Ulaanbaatar-Beijing and Busan-Zhangjiajie, will surge by 45.9 percent year-on-year. The hub-and-spoke scale of international aviation hubs will further expand. 

Passenger flights at the top 10 international aviation hubs will reach 11,794 per week, with their share rising from 62.3 percent in the same period last year to 70.8 percent, the CAAC said. 

Global Times