China Flights Update — 9 August 2026

flights • 9 August 2026

Several **new international routes to China** are being added or resumed in late 2026, with the strongest recent activity coming from Asia and Europe. According to *Aerotime*, Cebu Pacific will launch **Cebu–Shanghai** on **17 November 2026** and resume **Manila–Xiamen** on **23 November 2026**, giving travellers more direct options into eastern China.[1] Other route announcements are broadening access to China from additional overseas markets. *Global Times* reports that FlyArystan plans to start **Almaty–Chongqing** on **23 September 2026** with **two weekly flights**, while Kazakhstan and China are also discussing further new services including routes involving Urumqi and other regional cities.[4] In Europe, *TravelWires* says Air China has launched **London Gatwick–Chengdu** with **three weekly flights**, and **Milan Malpensa–Beijing Daxing** is now operating **daily**, adding more non-stop entry points for international travellers.[2][5] For travellers, the practical takeaway is that China’s international air links are continuing to expand beyond the biggest gateways such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, with more point-to-point options into cities like **Chengdu, Chongqing, Xiamen and Qingdao**.[1][2][4][11] If you want, I can turn this into a **short Australia-focused flight update** or a **route-by-route list by departure city**.

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