On March 3, 2016, Air China announced at a press conference held in Chongqing that it would start Chongqing-Dubai service on April 2, 2016.
The nonstop service will be the first of the kind from Chongqing to Dubai, and also Air China’s second international link to the Middle East following the launch of its Beijing-Dubai service. It takes passengers just 7 hours to get to a city of chic standing amidst desert and on the shores of the vast sea.
Now, Air China and Flydubai, a local player, have signed an agreement which allows each to issue electronic tickets of the other. With the agreement, the Chongqing-Dubai service can be further extended to other Middle East and African cities like Riyadh, Baghdad and Dammam, which provides more travel options to business travelers looking for market development opportunities in the Middle East and Africa.
In 2016, Air China will continue to expand its global route network with its hub in Beijing, focusing on the introduction of intercontinental routes linking to key cities in different regions. At present, Air China has flights linking Chongqing to 25 domestic cities as well as 5 international and regional cities including Tokyo, Seoul, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Taipei.
The flights CA451/2 are operated 3 times a week, with the outbound flights operated on Monday/Thursday/Saturday and the return flights on Tuesday/Friday/Sunday. The outbound flights depart from Chongqing at 18:40 and arrive in Dubai at 22:15; the return flights depart from Dubai at 00:10 and arrive in Chongqing at 11:20. The flights are operated with A330-200.