Camillo Bozzolo, director of Aviation Development at Save Photos: Courtesy of Aviation Development at Save

On September 26, 2024, the first direct non-stop flight between Venice and Shanghai took off. It promises to transport 70,000 passengers between the two countries in the first year, according to estimates from Save, the operator of Venice Marco Polo Airport, Italy's third intercontinental hub, and China Eastern Airlines, which operates the flight. 

"Italy is one of the markets that is most open to China in the post-COVID era," explained Camillo Bozzolo, director of Aviation Development at Save. "It is seen as a very friendly country, especially at this time of increasing geopolitical tensions, to the point that the waiting lists for visas are starting to lengthen again." 

For this reason, the Italian market for flights to and from China has grown: Rome and Milan have 40 weekly flights, and the new Venice route offers three weekly flights. 

"It was a gamble to launch a direct flight to China," the manager emphasized, "but the Shanghai area is worth about 50,000 passengers for us in a year." 

Opening the flight this year is important, the manager explains, because 2024 marks the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, while 2025 will be the 300th anniversary of Giacomo Casanova's birth, and the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Cortina, the first winter games after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics - events that maintain a strong connection with China. 

"Not to mention that Venice has one of the most important universities in Italy for the study of Eastern languages," Bozzolo added. 

Photo of Save's flight to Shanghai from Venice Marco Polo Airport

Since the start of the connection, just over three months ago, there have been more than 10,000 passengers on the Venice-Shanghai route, with a load factor of 82 percent, above average, according to Save data. 

"The hope is to increase the frequency of the connection," Bozzolo revealed. "It is possible that there will be more flights to Shanghai as early as this summer, perhaps a new route." 

Who uses this connection? "Mainly tourists, but business is also an important component," Bozzolo noted. "Venice is close to interesting Eastern communities, such as the Chinese community in Padua, and Prato, with its 25,000 Chinese residents, is not so far away." 

Save's goal is to achieve a turnover of 1 million euros in the first 12 months while also considering expansion. If Milan and Rome each have eight destinations to China, why not plan for a doubling for Venice, they proposed at Save. 

"Perhaps with a 'smaller' destination, like Chengdu, which is hard to find on the map, but has nearly 30 million people living in the area. Wouldn't you find 250 curious people wanting to learn about Venice and Italy?" Bozzolo asked.