China Flights Update — 27 June 2026

flights • 27 June 2026

New international flight routes to China are expanding significantly in summer 2026, with major Chinese carriers and regional airlines launching services connecting China to Europe, Asia, and Australia. **China Eastern Airlines** inaugurated its second Swiss route with a new **Shanghai–Zurich** flight on Thursday, following the 2025 launch of Shanghai–Geneva, and plans to roll out new routes from Shanghai Pudong to **Tbilisi, Dublin, and Cheongju (South Korea)** in June and July [2]. **Air China** has commenced non-stop flights between **Beijing Daxing and Milan-Malpensa**, while also launching routes to **Frankfurt** and **Milan** from Beijing Daxing over the past two months [2][7]. For Australian travellers, **China Airlines** is launching direct flights from **Adelaide to Shanghai**, marking Adelaide’s first direct international air connection to one of the world’s biggest cities [10]. Additionally, **Hainan Airlines** integrated the **Haikou–Chongqing–Madrid** route into its European network starting Saturday, and **Capital Airlines** launched a **Beijing–Lisbon** round-trip route, marking Beijing Daxing’s first non-stop service to Portugal [2]. Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China shows that in the summer-autumn 2026 season, China’s international routes will reach **86 countries and regions**, with steady growth in flight numbers [2]. Regional connectivity is also strengthening, with **Malaysia** adding four new international routes to China: **Kuala Lumpur–Chongqing** (commenced May 16) and **Kuala Lumpur–Dalian via Nanjing** (launched June 23) by Hainan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines respectively [1]. These additions bring Malaysia’s network to serve **15 China-based airlines**, highlighting the growing role of domestic airports in supporting international connectivity [1]. With these expansions, travellers will have more flexible options for reaching China’s major cities from Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Sources