Air China recovers the connection between Barcelona and Shanghai

In a summer expected to be a record-breaker in Barcelona, the airport has recovered one of its key routes with the Asian market. Air China will once again connect the Catalan capital with Shanghai starting in late August due to the airline's "great interest" in the Catalan market. According to the Barcelona Air Route Development Committee (CDRA), "the recovery of routes to China is a fundamental objective to increase Barcelona's connectivity and foster synergies and links with the industry and companies of Catalonia and China." To achieve this, institutional and business missions to Shanghai have been organized to highlight the need to recover this strategic route.

The Chinese flag carrier will operate the route with three weekly frequencies, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. It will do so with an Airbus A350-900 with three classes —business, premium economy, and economy—.

With the aim of benefiting both business and leisure passengers, the flight will depart from El Prat at 12:40 PM to arrive at Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) at 06:50 AM the following day. Return flights will depart from Shanghai at 00:45 AM to land in the Catalan capital at 08:05 AM on the same day.

With the return of this route, the airline, majority owner of China National Aviation Holding Company, completes its recovery in Barcelona this 2024 after COVID. It even increases the capacity of the route to Beijing, now offering daily flights. Last year, the connection with the technological capital Shenzhen was also launched, through Shenzhen Airlines, part of the Air China group.

Before the pandemic, in 2019, Air China's route to Shanghai registered more than 39,500 direct passengers and 107,500 indirect passengers. In 2023, after the incorporation of the direct route to Beijing in June, almost 4,800 direct passengers and 22,000 indirect passengers were transported, while to Shanghai, there were more than 54,000 indirect passengers.