“Thailand Becomes Top Destination for Chinese Travelers with Immediate Visas, while Stopovers in Russia Pose Challenges”

Thailand is likely to be the most popular destination for Chinese travelers this year, as the country will immediately issue visas to vaccinated Chinese once they enter the country.

According to the China Bureau of Statistics, Chinese tourists made nearly 170 million trips abroad in 2019.

Tourism to China is also slowly recovering as travel agents can once again organize group tours for foreigners to China.

Chinese airlines have an advantage in reviving air traffic between Europe and China. They were able to resume flights over Siberia, because they are not affected by Russian or European Union (EU) flight bans.

Depending on the location of the airport, an airline that uses a direct route through Russia can make a single flight between Europe and China up to $50,000 cheaper than an airline that flies around Russia. This is naturally reflected in the prices of air tickets.

European airlines are concerned about this distortion of competition. However, concerns about a decrease in the number of passengers have not materialized.

“Many of our customers do not want to fly in Russian airspace. When you buy a ticket from a European airline, you do not fly through Russia. This reduces the inconvenience that we have to put up with due to a longer flight,” says Lufthansa CEO Karsten Spohr in an interview with Yle.

It also has its dark side.

If an aircraft flying between China and Europe has to land in Russia due to technical problems, for example, the necessary spare parts and technical personnel will have to be brought from China.

“According to the EU sanctions regulation, Russia does not have legal maintenance organizations approved by EU countries for these western aircraft,” the expert tells the “Yle” portal.

It is also impossible to legally deliver spare parts for Western aircraft to Russia. A mechanic sent by the airline can take the spare part with him, but the damaged part must not be left in Russia.

If non-approved parts are used, the aircraft could be banned from entering the EU.