Hainan returns with Norway’s only connection to China

• Hainan Airlines will return to Norway.

• Its last services had been in October 2019.

• The airline will surpass 15 European destinations.

Hainan confirmed it will resume operations between Beijing Capital and Oslo starting March 22nd. The flights will have three weekly frequencies and will be conducted with Airbus A330-300 aircraft configured for 292 passengers in two classes (32 seats in Business and 260 seats in Economy).

According to its website, the airline will perform this route every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, offering 876 seats per week on each leg. As services will be seasonal, the last flight is scheduled for October 25th.

In the Norway – China market, Hainan Airlines will be the only carrier with regular operations. Currently, Abu Dhabi, Baku, Bangkok, Doha and Dubai are the destinations provided by different companies from the Norwegian capital to Asia.

Schedule between Beijing and Oslo – Hainan

March 22nd to March 29th

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

March 30th to October 25th

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

The last scheduled flights between Norway and China were more than five years ago. During the European summer 2019, Hainan Airlines operated this same route with the same aircraft. Like this year, these services had been seasonal, but did not return the following years due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“This route will provide a much-needed connection to China and strengthen Norwegian tourism, business, and seafood exports. The increasing trend of Chinese tourism to Norway is positive, and this direct flight will make it even easier for Chinese tourists to experience the best Norway has to offer,” said Ulv Elbirk, Director of Route Development at Avinor.

Network

Hainan Airlines will reach 16 regular destinations in Europe with the launch of Oslo. The Norwegian capital joins Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Dublin, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Paris, Prague, Rome, St. Petersburg and Vienna, its current services on the continent. In addition, with seasonal flights, it operates to Edinburgh from the Chinese capital.

Beijing and Shenzhen are Hainan’s main connections to Europe, with eight and seven, respectively. The company also serves European cities from Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai and Xi’An.

Belgrade

• Beijing (PEK): 2 weekly · Airbus A330-300

Berlin

• Beijing (PEK): 5 weekly · Airbus A330-300

Brussels

• Beijing (PEK): 14 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• Shanghai (PVG): 4 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• Shenzhen (SZX): 3 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Budapest

• Shenzhen (SZX): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Dublin

• Beijing (PEK): 2 weekly · Airbus A330-300

London

• Changsha (CSX): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Madrid

• Chongqing (CKG): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• Shenzhen (SZX): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Manchester

• Beijing (PEK): 7 weekly · Airbus A330-300

Milan

• Chongqing (CKG): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• Shenzhen (SZX): 3 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Oslo · effective March 22nd

• Beijing (PEK): 3 weekly · Airbus A330-300

Paris

• Chongqing (CKG): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• Shenzhen (SZX): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• Xi’An (XIY): 1 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Prague

• Beijing (PEK): 6 weekly · A333/789

Rome

• Chongqing (CKG): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• Shenzhen (SZX): 3 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

St. Petersburg

• Beijing (PEK): 2 weekly · Airbus A330-300

Vienna

• Chengdu (TFU): 3 weekly · Airbus A330-300
• Shenzhen (SZX): 2 weekly · Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

As well as Asia, the main market of its network, and Europe, Hainan operates to Africa, Latin America, Middle East, North America and Oceania.

Abu Dhabi, Auckland, Boston, Cairo, Dubai, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, New York JFK, Seattle, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tijuana, Toronto and Vancouver are part of Hainan’s regular schedule, in accordance with our database.

220 aircraft are part of Hainan Airlines

The Chinese airline has 187 Boeing aircraft, including Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737 MAX 8, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and the remaining 33 are Airbus, comprising Airbus A320neo, Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A330-300.

Hainan is scheduled to incorporate in 2025 its first Airbus A330-900neo, which has the test registration F-WWYV. The aircraft is being produced in Toulouse and its Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) is 2096.

Fleet

The Hainan Airlines Group has more than 650 aircraft in its fleet, taking into account all subsidiaries. Air Changan, Beijing Capital Airlines, Fuzhou Airlines, Grand China Air, Hong Kong Airlines, Lucky Air, Tianjin Air Cargo, Tianjin Airlines, Urumqi Air and West Air belong to the group, which distribute the remaining jets.

Regarding fleet updates, in November 2024, Hainan reached an agreement with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) for 40 new ARJ-21-700s, to be operated by Urumqi Air. This agreement is worth over $1.52 billion.

Hainan Airlines will be the 10th airline to have COMACs in its fleet, all of them Chinese except for TransNusa, which is from Indonesia.

Air China, China Express Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, CFGAC, Genghis Khan Airlines, Jiangxi Air, OTT Airlines and TransNusa operate COMACs, being more than 150 active at publication time.

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Cover photo: 5947 – JetPhotos (Beijing Capital – ZBAA – China)