Air China Adds Vladivostok Route Amid Growing China-Russia Connectivity

Air China is the latest Chinese carrier to signal its expansion in the Russian market, as flight capacity between China and Russia continues to grow.

The airline intends to introduce a route connecting Beijing Capital International Airport and Vladivostok International Airport from March 30. Flights will be offered three times per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using Boeing 737 aircraft.

This marks the airline’s first route to Vladivostok, a port city near the borders of China and North Korea, and its fourth service to Russia. It also operates flights to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport from Beijing Capital and Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport, as well as a route connecting Hulunbeier Hailar Airport with Chita-Kadala International Airport.

Although most major international airlines suspended operations to Russia in February 2022 following Western sanctions against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, air travel between Russia and China has continued, with China becoming a key ally.

Tourism between the two nations is also on the rise, reflecting the strengthening ties. China led all foreign tourist arrivals to Russia during the first nine months of 2024, with 731,900 travelers between January and September, according to Russia’s Federal Security Service.

Similarly, the number of Russian tourists traveling to China has increased, driven by relaxed visa regulations, the reinstatement of visa-free group travel policies between the two nations, and the limited availability of outbound international flights from Russia due to Western sanctions.

According to China Daily, Heilongjiang province alone welcomed 317,000 Russian visitors in the first half of 2024, representing more than 90% of its foreign tourist arrivals. Additionally, Sanya, a popular destination in Hainan province, received 38,000 Russian tourists between January and May 2024, Sanya Tourism Board figures show—2.6 times the total number for all of 2023.

Analysis of schedules data filed with OAG Schedules Analyser shows that capacity between the nations totals almost 386,000 two-way seats during January 2025, marking a year-on-year rise of 62% and up by 25% on January 2020. Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot currently accounts for 28.4% of the market, followed by China Eastern Airlines on 15.5% and Hainan Airlines on 10.8%.

Although Aeroflot has reduced Russia-China capacity by 5% compared with pre-pandemic levels, it is currently offering 16 nonstop routes between the countries, compared with seven in 2019. Recent additions include Krasnoyarsk-Harbin, Khabarovskiy-Sanya and Moscow Sheremetyevo-Sanya.

Meanwhile, Chinese carriers have significantly grown their capacity share. In January 2020, before the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Chinese airlines collectively accounted for 24% of all Russia-China capacity. By January 2025, this share had risen to 59%.

Notably, China Eastern’s capacity has grown by 557%, Hainan’s by 217% and China Southern Airlines’ by 134% over the same period. New routes launched include Shanghai-Kazan and Shenyang-Moscow Sheremetyevo by China Eastern; Yanji-Vladivostok by China Southern; and Haikou-Moscow Sheremetyevo by Hainan.