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Xi’an will become the sixth destination in the PRC with direct air connection to St. Petersburg and the second flight route for China Eastern Airlines from Pulkovo.
On 2 May 2018, China Eastern Airlines commenced scheduled flights from St. Petersburg to Xi’an, the administrative centre of the Chinese province of Shaanxi.
The flights will continue throughout the summer season, operated from Pulkovo Airport on Wednesdays and Fridays on wide body A330-200 aircraft accommodating up to 232 passengers.
Xi’an is one of the four ancient capitals of China. The city, over 3,000 years old, has a rich history and is known as one of the most significant cultural centres in the country. Xi’an was the starting point for the Great Silk Road and is the home of the famous Terracotta Army. In the 1970s, it was near this city that several thousand full-sized terra cotta statues of warriors were found next to the tomb of the founder of the Qin dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Xi’an will become the sixth destination in the PRC with direct air connection to St. Petersburg and the second flight route for China Eastern Airlines from Pulkovo. In the summer season, the airline will also perform scheduled service to Shanghai. In 2017, China Eastern Airlines served 34,100 passengers in the airport of the Russian Northern capital, a 70% increase over 2016.
The total direct traffic between St. Petersburg and PRC cities rose in 2017 by 32% to 223,500 passengers. Another 121,600 passengers travelled with a connecting flight. This summer, Pulkovo Airport route network will include scheduled flights to Xi’an, Chengdu, Űrümqi, Beijin, Nanjing, Shanghai, as well as charter flights to Guangzhou, Wuhan and Shenzhen.
In December 2016, Pulkovo became the first Russian airport to receive the Welcome Chinese Certificate from the China Tourism Academy. The document confirms the high service level and availability of special services for Chinese passengers in the airport terminal. Several European airports already have such certificates, including Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Pulkovo Airport welcomed 3.2 million passengers in January-March 2018, a 9.6% increase over the same period in 2017. In February 2018, Pulkovo for the third time in a row won the annual national prize Air Gateway of Russia. Passengers through open voting recognised the St. Petersburg airport as the best among the largest airports in Russia.
Since 2010, Northern Capital Gateways LLC has been the main operator of Pulkovo Airport. Based on a public-private partnership agreement with the city of St. Petersburg, the company manages the airport and implements its reconstruction and development project.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
