China’s flag-carrier Air China confirmed on 19 December that it will open non-stop services from Beijing (24 March 2026) and Chengdu (26 March 2026) to Brussels, setting up a direct fight with long-time incumbent Hainan Airlines. The move will bring the number of Chinese cities with direct links to the Belgian capital to five and is expected to cut Chengdu–Brussels travel time by up to eight hours by eliminating connections.
Belgian exporters—from pharma to perishables—welcome the added belly-cargo capacity, while tourism boards see scope to rebuild Chinese visitor numbers to the EU quarter. According to Brussels Airport, China-origin arrivals are still 21 percent below 2019 levels, but the new routes could restore pre-pandemic volumes by late 2026.
![Air China Steps Up Brussels Expansion, Challenging Hainan Airlines on China-Belgium Market]()
Travelers eager to take advantage of these new non-stop flights can streamline the required Schengen paperwork through VisaHQ’s digital portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), which offers step-by-step online applications, real-time tracking, and dedicated support for Belgium and onward EU destinations—removing one more hurdle as traffic rebounds.
Corporate travel buyers should prepare for aggressive fare competition: analysts expect economy return fares on Brussels–Beijing to dip below €550 in the launch window as the two carriers vie for market share. Both airlines are eyeing high-yield government and EU-institution traffic; Air China hinted it will deploy three-class Boeing 787-9s with 30 lie-flat business seats.
Slot availability was a key factor in Brussels’ selection over larger hubs such as Frankfurt and Paris. Brussels Airport’s flexible slot pool and streamlined turnaround processes allow Chinese carriers to lock in daylight arrival times that facilitate same-day onward connections to other EU capitals.
Belgian exporters—from pharma to perishables—welcome the added belly-cargo capacity, while tourism boards see scope to rebuild Chinese visitor numbers to the EU quarter. According to Brussels Airport, China-origin arrivals are still 21 percent below 2019 levels, but the new routes could restore pre-pandemic volumes by late 2026.
Travelers eager to take advantage of these new non-stop flights can streamline the required Schengen paperwork through VisaHQ’s digital portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), which offers step-by-step online applications, real-time tracking, and dedicated support for Belgium and onward EU destinations—removing one more hurdle as traffic rebounds.
Corporate travel buyers should prepare for aggressive fare competition: analysts expect economy return fares on Brussels–Beijing to dip below €550 in the launch window as the two carriers vie for market share. Both airlines are eyeing high-yield government and EU-institution traffic; Air China hinted it will deploy three-class Boeing 787-9s with 30 lie-flat business seats.
Slot availability was a key factor in Brussels’ selection over larger hubs such as Frankfurt and Paris. Brussels Airport’s flexible slot pool and streamlined turnaround processes allow Chinese carriers to lock in daylight arrival times that facilitate same-day onward connections to other EU capitals.
