CHONGQING, China, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At 1:30 am Beijing time on December 19th, a Boeing 787 carrying more than 100 passengers left Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and started its 12-hour flight to Paris. This was the first flight on the new non-stop route between the two cities. At 1 pm local time in Paris, another Boeing 787 took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport headed towards Chongqing, one of China's southwest megacities.

Save Time and Money

This new route is operated by Hainan Airlines, one of the largest carriers in China. The 12-hour non-stop flight will make traveling between Chongqing and Paris much easier, saving both time and money for Chinese passengers wanting to experience Paris' famed romance. This route is the second direct international flight from Chongqing to Europe by Hainan Airlines, their first being to Rome, Italy.

There are now six direct flights between Chongqing and European destinations, and you can now fly directly to Chongqing, China, from London, Rome, Helsinki, Paris, Moscow and Irkutsk, making traveling between Europe and Chongqing much easier and more efficient.

100 International Air Routes by 2020

According to the Chongqing Municipal Transportation Bureau, Jiangbei International Airport has already opened routes from Chongqing to Seattle, and Boston via Shanghai earlier in this month. In addition, we are likely to see two non-stop flights and four connecting flights soon from Chongqing to North America, forming a network of 2-4 routes, with up to 18 flights weekly, connecting Chongqing to both the east and west coasts of North America.

Additionally, Chongqing has added more flights to Southeast Asia and other surrounding destinations closer to China. By the end of 2018, the total number of international routes from Chongqing will exceed 80 and should reach more than 100 by 2020, creating a comprehensive network of flights reaching destinations in Europe, the United States and Australia.

By 2020, it is estimated that Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport will handle upwards of 50 million passengers a year, with 5 million traveling internationally, while cargo volume will increase to about 1 million tons. The airport is set to become one of the largest transportation hubs for passengers as well as cargo in China.

Win a Free Trip to Chongqing

For this occasion, the Chongqing International Media Center (www.iChongqing.info) is hosting a lucky draw, offering a free trip to Chongqing that includes a round-trip ticket provided by Hainan Airlines, three nights of free hotel and visits to six of Chongqing's most famous and spectacular attractions. To enter the lucky draw, please follow iChongqing's twitter account @iChongqing_CIMC and retweet this message: https://bit.ly/2S40zsA. You can also read more about the campaign at iChongqing: https://bit.ly/2Br394H.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801241/Chongqing_Paris_direct_flight.jpg

SOURCE iChongqing