A Delta Air Lines plane is seen at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on October 25, 2019. File  Photo: Courtesy of Delta Air Lines

China is seeing a soaring number of international flights after months of delay due to COVID-19.

British Airways said Tuesday that it will resume flights to the Chinese mainland on August 9, after it suspended the flights on January 29 due to COVID-19. The airline will offer flights from London to Shanghai every Thursday and Sunday. 

Finnair said on Tuesday that it will restart flying from Helsinki to Shanghai each week on Thursday, saying that restarting the route is very important, as the Chinese market has always played an important part in its global strategy. 

From Monday, Etihad Airways will resume passenger flights from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, to Shanghai. The service will operate with an initial weekly flight using a Boeing 777-300ER, featuring business and economy cabins.

Robin Kamark, Etihad Aviation Group chief commercial officer, said the restarting of passenger services between Abu Dhabi and Shanghai will cater to the large demand from business travelers in the UAE, China, and other economies in the Middle East and Africa.

With the efforts of various countries in the world, the global epidemic is gradually and steadily moving toward a well-controlled situation, and government regulators have begun to relax restrictions on citizens' entry and exit travel.

According to rules from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, from June 8, foreign airlines can choose a port city with reception capability and fly one flight per week, but they must first obtain an access certificate from the local airport.

The Global Times has found out that nine carriers from European countries, including Lufthansa, Swiss Air Lines and Air France, have announced restarted flights to China, and their landing cities are not only first-tier cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, but also second-tier cities such as Nanjing. Lufthansa even flies from Frankfurt to Shanghai and Nanjing.

Activity is increasing in the Asia market as countries have adopted vigorous virus control policies.

There are 12 carriers in countries such as South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia that have updated their flight schedules for routes to China.