Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs China’s largest airline, China Southern Airlines, has suspended flights from Beijing to Moscow at the end of January, a surprise move that comes just ahead of the Chinese New Year.Newsweek reached out to China Southern Airlines and the Russian Foreign Ministry with an emailed request for comment outside of office hours.Why It MattersThe Chinese New Year holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, is the world’s largest “human migration,” with millions returning home to reunite with their families. In recent decades, it has also become a major driver of international tourism as China’s growing middle class began exploring destinations across Asia and beyond.Russia’s tourism landscape has shifted since President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with most Western airlines halting flights to Russia, either due to home-country restrictions or Moscow’s retaliatory bans. China remains a major source of tourism, economic lifeline, and political support to the country.What To KnowChina Southern Airlines, the country’s top carrier, has temporarily canceled its Beijing-Moscow route for over eight weeks starting January 20, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATORUS) reported on Tuesday. Newsweek independently verified these dates.The association estimated the change could affect the travel plans of 15,000 to 17,000 people and cited travel industry sources as saying that so far the biggest concern is for those traveling to a third country via the Chinese capital.
Passengers arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on January 8. China Southern Airlines has suspended all Beijing-Moscow flights from January 20 to March 30.
Passengers arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on January 8. China Southern Airlines has suspended all Beijing-Moscow flights from January 20 to March 30.
Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images
Other major airlines continue to serve the route, and China Southern Airlines customers can still reach Moscow with a transit stop in the southeastern city of Guangzhou.China Southern Airlines has not provided a clear reason for the cancellations, with one tour operator telling ATOR the carrier has been ignoring requests for explanations.ATORUS stated that the move was unlikely to be connected to last week’s European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommendation for flights over Russia, pointing out that dozens of Chinese flights will continue the route each day.EASA advised foreign airlines to avoid areas west of longitude 60 degrees East, which passes through the Ural Mountains region in Russia, due to increased risks connected to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.Chinese nationals comprised nearly half of the 218,000 international tourists registered by Russia’s border authorities in the first quarter of 2024, down from 470,000 total tourists in 2019.What People Are SayingAnna Filatovskaya, director of advertising and public relations at Russian Express travel and tourism company: “We are checking whether [customers’] flights will take place and what the airline itself will offer as an alternative. We are looking at alternative flights for guests in the system.”What’s NextChina Southern Airlines sales for Beijing-Moscow tickets will resume on March 30.
