Hainan Airlines to connect Brussels Airport to Shenzhen city with direct flights

January 12, 2018: Haikou head-quartered Hainan Airlines will be connecting Brussels Airport and China’s Shenzhen Boa’an International Airport with direct flights from March 20. This will be Hainan Airlines’ third direct connection from Brussels Airport to China, in addition to its flights to Beijing and Shanghai Pudong. The Brussels-Shenzhen route will be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

“We are pleased to add, together with Hainan Airlines, a third direct connection with China to our network. The expansion of the network to one of the largest growth regions in the world offers the Belgian economy and business community new, directly accessible business possibilities and markets. Shenzhen itself is also enjoying a strong economic growth,” said Arnaud Feist, CEO, Brussels Airport Company.

Hainan Airlines started the direction connection to Beijing in 2006 and in October 2016 added a direct flight from Brussels Airport to Shanghai. China is an enormous growth market in the world, and the direct connections will further increase and facilitate the investment and export possibilities between both countries.

Shenzhen Boa’an International Airport is working on a strong international and intercontinental expansion. Last year, the airport started a rapid expansion of the number of international and intercontinental routes; the Brussels Airport-Shenshen Boa’an connection is one of the first routes to the European continent.

Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, with currently around 11.4 million inhabitants. Nearly 23 million people live in the whole Shenzhen city prefecture. The growth in the population is, not surprisingly, also reflected in a strong economic growth. The region is sometimes referred to as the “Silicon Valley of China” and has extensive port facilities, production units and financial institutions.

Shenzhen is located in the province of Guangdong in the south of China and borders on Hongkong. As of 25 March, Cathay Pacific operates a flight to Hongkong from Brussels Airport four times a week, and the new direct connection between Brussels Airport and Shenzhen is the second connection with this region.