Air China will launch its inaugural flight from Beijing to Johannesburg on August 30. The flight will depart Beijing at 23h15 to arrive the following day in Johannesburg at 07h35.
The airline will operate flights from Johannesburg on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, departing at 11h40 to arrive in Beijing next day at 07h10. The return flight from Beijing operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Bradley Brouwer, SA Tourism president of Asia Pacific, told Tourism Update the allocated time slots were optimal, offering unlimited connection opportunities within China.
Spokesperson for Air China, Xingyu Zhao, says compared with the previous SAA flight, the proposed Air China flight schedule will offer more convenient connection times.
Xingyu says the recent state visit to China by President Jacob Zuma has led to enhanced co-operation between the two nations in the aviation sector. “Air China and SAA announced a further strengthening of their bilateral co-operation within the Star Alliance. The key element in this relationship will be some network reconfiguration for both airlines to provide better passenger and cargo services between South Africa and China and countries adjacent to both.”
