New Air China direct flight from Beijing to Venice: opportunities for tourism and trade

Looking at business and freight, the North-East accounts for 13% of trade flows between Italia and China, generating an annual turnover of around 10 billion euros, second only to that of the Milan area (Istat data from 2025). As for tourism. The North-East is one of the country’s leading regions in terms of the number of tourists arriving from China. This is high-end tourism, with over 70 per cent of visitors opting for luxury accommodation, drawn in particular to the cities of art – Venice and Verona in particular – and the Dolomites.

And then there is the VFR (Visit Friends & Relatives) segment. With around 70,000 residents, the Chinese community in the North-East is the second largest in Italia after that of Lombardy. Visits and family reunions will be supported and facilitated by the new flight, with passenger flows from China coming in particular from Beijing, Wenzhou (in the province of Zhejiang) and Xiamen (in the province of Fujian).

The flight can be booked both on the Air China website and via all online and traditional sales channels.

Air China, founded in 1988, is China’s national airline. It was the official airline partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. As at 31 December 2025, Air China (including its subsidiaries) has a total fleet of 964 aircraft and an extensive network of international routes. As a member of Star Alliance, Air China’s network provides access to over 1,100 destinations in more than 190 countries and regions worldwide, with an annual passenger volume exceeding 150 million.

According to Wu Feng, Managing Director of Air China Europe, “Against the backdrop of ever-increasing global connectivity and to mark the 40th anniversary of Air China’s flights to Italia, the new direct Beijing–Venice flight represents a significant milestone for aviation cooperation between the two countries, and will contribute not only to further strengthening collaboration in the civil aviation sector, but also to significantly expanding Air China’s network in Italia. Air China is officially expanding its presence in Italia to three strategic hubs: Milan, Rome and Venice, making Italia one of the European countries with the highest number of cities served by the airline. Air China will continue to capitalise on this opportunity to optimise its network of international connections and constantly improve the quality of its services, thereby consolidating its role as an air bridge for economic, tourist and cultural exchanges between China and Italia.”