Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines plans to restore flights to France during the northern summer 2023 season with a new nonstop connection to Paris.

The airline initially launched service to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in December 2018, operating three times per week from its base in Fuzhou. However, regular operations were halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis, resulting in the city’s absence from Xiamen Airlines’ network ever since.

OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that the carrier intends return on July 6, opening a route linking Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport and CDG. Flights will be offered once a week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Once operational, the 9,648-km (5,210-nm) route to Paris will become Xiamen Airlines’ second scheduled passenger service to Europe. Currently, the carrier’s sole flights to the continent are between Xiamen and Amsterdam, which run three times per week.

With the inclusion of Paris in its network, Xiamen Airlines will therefore offer service to the respective hubs of its SkyTeam alliance partners, Air France and KLM.

Xiamen is a port city on China’s southeast coast, with a population of more than 4 million inhabitants. Before the pandemic, the city had two direct links to Europe, with KLM operating flights from Amsterdam in addition to Xiamen Airlines’ own Amsterdam service.

For CDG, Xiamen will become the fifth destination in mainland China accessible from the airport by nonstop flights. OAG data for the week commencing May 22 shows that Air France and Air China fly three times per week to Beijing Capital; China Southern Airlines serves Paris-Guangzhou twice a week; China Eastern Airlines and Air France offer 3X-weekly Shanghai Pudong flights; and Hainan Airlines connects Paris and Shenzhen twice a week.

Over the coming weeks, frequencies on four of these routes are scheduled to rise. By early July, Air France’s services to Beijing and Shanghai will be daily, while Air China and China Eastern will also offer daily service to Paris from Beijing and Shanghai, respectively.

Overall, capacity between France and mainland China is schedule rise to about 22,000 two-way seats by the first week of July, up from 10,400 at present. For comparison, France-China capacity in May 2019 was around 55,000 two-way weekly seats.