Jazeera Airways operates first flight to China

Kuwait-based carrier Jazeera Airways has expanded its route network by adding a flight to Xian, China.

The flight will operate between Kuwait International Airport (KWI) and Xian Xianyang International Airport (XIY) once every two weeks using an Airbus A320neo aircraft.

However, flights between Kuwait and China will not be direct and will have a technical stop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for refueling.

Jazeera Airways’ inaugural flight to China took place on September 19, 2022. With a technical stop in Bishkek, the whole journey lasted for almost eight hours, according to Flightradar24.com data.

Founded in 2004, Jazeera Airways is the first non-government-owned airline in the Middle East. The airline has a total of 17 Airbus A320 aircraft in its fleet, including nine A320neos and eight A320-200s, according to Planespotters.net.

The carrier mainly serves destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and Europe.

The news comes two months after China loosened its COVID-19 flight restrictions for international flights. On June 28, 2022, China reduced quarantine time for overseas passengers from 14 to seven days.

China has been one of the strictest places in the world in terms of quarantine requirements and travel restrictions resulting from the global pandemic.

Although China is slowly easing travel restrictions for international flights, passengers wanting to get into the country still face stringent restrictions.