The first direct flight between Geneva and Beijing was inaugurated in the presence of numerous officials on 7 May 2013. To mark the 10th anniversary of this route, a festive event was held on Wednesday evening 28 June 2023 for around 80 partners, including travel agents, travel managers, diplomats and officials.
Organised by Air China and Geneva Airport, the event provided an opportunity for H.E. Mr WANG Shihting, the Chinese Ambassador to Berne, to take stock of relations between the two countries, which have been facilitated by this air link.
The route launched in 2013 was interrupted for almost three years due to the COVID crisis, and was only able to resume in February of this year 2023. Since March, three flights a week have been scheduled using Airbus A330s, and from mid-July a fourth weekly rotation will be added.
Over the past ten years, more than 360,000 passengers have used this direct route between the UN's European headquarters and the Chinese capital. While this flight has accompanied the sharp rise in Chinese tourists to Switzerland and neighbouring France, it has also been used by a large number of diplomats, business travellers, expatriates, students, researchers and artists.
The air freight business has also benefited from this capacity, particularly for high value-added export industries such as watchmaking, fine chemicals, perfumery, etc.