Monday, August 26, 2024 “Western airlines, once enthusiastic about resuming routes to China post-COVID, are now scaling back due to low demand and rising operational challenges.” When China reopened its borders after years of COVID-19 restrictions , Western airlines seemed ready to re-enter a once-bustling market. Last year, foreign carriers rushed to restore direct routes to the world’s second-largest economy, which was once famous for sending out high-spending tourists.
Some airlines even announced plans to expand their flight schedules. However, a year later, the outlook has changed dramatically. Many Western airlines are cutting back on flights that were reinstated just a year ago, with aviation industry experts pointing to weak demand due to China’s faltering economy.
The increased operational costs and longer flight times caused by the war in Ukraine—forcing Western airlines to avoid Russian airspace—have further squeezed their profit margins and made them less competitive compared to Chinese airlines, which enjoy a preference among domestic travelers for Chinese-speaking crews. Adding to these challenges, strained geopolitical relations have hindered the complete resumption of flights between China and the United States, as well as some of Washington’s close allies, causing Western tourists to largely look elsewhere. British Airways, for instance, will suspend its London to Beijing route starting October 26, with plans to resume no earlier than November 2.