Article from BTNews 25 SEPTEMBER 2017
Air China on the march
Two major new non-stop routes are joining the Air China network shortly, with Beijing – Athens service from next Saturday, 30 September, and the launch of Beijing – Brisbane on 11 December.
The Athens service will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays with an Airbus A330-200, reducing journey time to 10.5hr and providing convenient connections to Santorini, Zakynthos and other centres.
With 2017 marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Greece, Air China says the new route is a “major milestone” for civil aviation co-operation and for the bilateral relationship.
The airline added: “Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa and the route confers on it the role of a regional transportation hub, serving business travellers, tourists and students from both countries.”
The Brisbane launch also acknowledges the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Australia, with Air China saying the Queensland capital’s links to the Asia Pacific region and Beijing’s position making the two cities “a perfect match”.
Air China already operates direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu to Sydney and Melbourne. The Beijing – Brisbane route will bring the total number of weekly flights between China and Australia to almost 40.
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