On Tuesday morning, June 24, a China Eastern Airlines flight carrying over 200 passengers landed at Istanbul Airport at around 7 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT). This marked the launch of the airline’s new direct route connecting Xi’an, a city in southwestern China, with Istanbul, Turkey.
Based in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines has now established its second direct route between China and Turkey, following the Shanghai-Istanbul service. The new Xi’an-Istanbul route operates three round-trip flights per week on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, using Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft.
At the inauguration ceremony held at Istanbul Airport for the first return flight, Wu Jian, China’s Deputy Consul General in Istanbul, hailed the new route as a significant step in building a convenient “Air Silk Road” between the two historic cities. He added that the route would inject new momentum into promoting China-Turkey economic cooperation, cultural exchange, and joint advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Firat Ocak, Aviation Development Director at Istanbul Airport, emphasized the airport’s commitment to the Chinese market and expressed confidence that the new route would provide Chinese travelers with more efficient transit options to Europe and beyond via Istanbul.
Li Ge, General Manager of China Eastern Airlines’ Istanbul branch, said the direct flight not only enhances connectivity between western China and Turkey but also serves as a convenient bridge for bilateral cooperation in trade, culture, and tourism.