Air China to Commence Beijing-Johannesburg Nonstop Service

BEIJING, Aug. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Air China will start Beijing-Johannesburg nonstop service on October 29, 2015, which will be the first air link offered by a Chinese carrier between Mainland China and South Africa and also Air China's first route to Africa. The service will spare Chinese travelers to South Africa the trouble of having to make a transfer en route. With a 14-hour flight, travelers can get to the southernmost point of the African continent to explore the amazing and mysterious Africa.

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The year 2015 coincides with the South Africa-China Year. Johannesburg will be the first destination Air China will begin to serve on October 29, after many years of absence from the African market, and the new service will further solidify the political, economic and cultural exchanges between China and Africa. This year, Air China will also start Beijing-Addis Ababa service. The two routes are part of Air China's endeavor to build its global route network with its hub in Beijing, and make it easier for travelers from countries like China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore to travel to and from South Africa and Africa as a whole and offer additional flight options for travelers.

This year, Air China continues to build its international presence by starting more international routes. The year 2015 will be one in which the carrier starts the largest number of new routes. In addition to the above two new routes to Africa, Air China also started Chengdu-Colombo service in February, Hangzhou-Osaka service in March, Tianjin-Dalian-Sapporo service in April, Beijing-Minsk-Budapest in May, Beijing-Melbourne nonstop service in June and Beijing-Hakodate service in July. These new services have made Air China one of the few carriers in the world that served all the six continents and the only Chinese carrier that does so.

About the flights

The flights CA867/8 Beijing-Johannesburg are to be operated on Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday (outbound) and on Monday/Wednesday/Friday (inbound). The outbound flight departs from Beijing at 23:15 Beijing time, and arrives in Johannesburg at 7:35 local time on the following day. The inbound flight departs from Johannesburg at 11:50 local time and arrives in Beijing at 7:30 Beijing time. The flights are to be operated with Boeing 777-300ER, an aircraft type quite popular with the world's business travelers.