A Lufthansa flight lands smoothly on the runway of Shanghai Pudong International Airport and glides through the water gate on April 18, 2024, marking the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Shanghai-Frankfurt route.  Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa

Industry officials and foreign airlines remain bullish on the Chinese civil aviation market, and they said that the Chinese market is not losing its appeal.

Airlines make network and commercial decisions based on their individual circumstances. One of the key considerations would be the commercial viability of a particular route. If a route is not economically sustainable, airlines will look at deploying their limited aircraft assets to other routes, Xie Xingquan, regional vice president for North Asia and the Asia-Pacific (ad interim) with the International Air Transport Association, told the Global Times.

"China continues to work closely with various regions to enhance air connectivity. Over the long term, China's aviation potential remains positive, with China expected to become the largest air passenger market within a decade," Xie said.

Lufthansa has been a front-runner in ramping up its capacity post-pandemic to China and currently is the largest European carrier in China in terms of weekly flights, Jens Ritter, CEO Lufthansa Airlines, told the Global Times, highlighting the importance of the Chinese market for the EU carrier.

This month "we are operating 40 flights per week to the three gateways - Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Compared with August 2023, we have increased our weekly frequencies by more than 70 percent," he said.

"We have confidence in the market, the country and its people. We're confident that, in terms of post-pandemic travel between China and Germany and between China and Europe, the best is yet to come," Ritter said.

Emirates was the first airline to establish non-stop connectivity between the Middle East and the Chinese mainland, and Dubai is one of the top destinations for Chinese corporate and leisure travelers due to its strong appeal and visa policy, and it continues to see strong visitor traffic year-on-year, it added. 

Passenger flight frequencies to the Chinese mainland have fully resumed to pre-pandemic levels, with 35 passenger flights per week, according to information the airlines shared with the Global Times.

Ritter from Lufthansa said that in 2026, Lufthansa will be celebrating its 100th birthday. 

"In that same year we'll also be marking the 100th anniversary of our first services between Beijing and Germany. So China has been a key market for us for the past hundred years. And we expect it to remain so for the next hundred years, too," Ritter said. 

Market watchers said that visa-free entry to China has given impetus to the recovery of the travel market, and the summer holiday season is at its peak.