The Canadian Transportation Agency has recently announced the removal of restrictions that had been in place since February 2022. These restrictions limited airlines from mainland China to a maximum of six round-trip regular passenger flights per week to Canada and prohibited direct flights from Beijing to Canada.
Starting October 25, 2024, airlines including Air China, Capital Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines are now free from these limitations.
In essence, lifting these restrictions opens the door to increasing flights between Canada and China, surpassing the prior cap of six weekly round trips. This change means more direct flight options between the two countries will soon be available.
Currently, seven airlines operate China-Canada routes, with Chinese mainland carriers accounting for 62% of the total flights. Several airlines are already adding more flights to meet demand.
Cathay Pacific plans to increase North American flight frequencies for the 2024 winter-spring season, including direct routes connecting Hong Kong to Toronto, Vancouver, and San Francisco.
China Southern Airlines will resume its Toronto-Guangzhou route starting October 27, 2024, with three additional weekly flights, bringing the total to four trips per week.
It is worth noting the varying recovery rates of flights between the two countries. Air Canada has recovered 10.6% of its flights, while Sichuan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines have reached about 40% recovery. Other airlines’ recovery rates remain in single digits.
