After four and a half years, Air China has reconnected Beijing (PEK), People’s Republic of China, with Havana (HAV), Cuba, after a 20-hour and 55-minute flight plus a 2-hour and 10-minute stopover in Madrid (MAD). The aircraft that operated the inaugural route was a Boeing 787-9, registered B-1431.
The state airline had ceased flying to Havana in 2020 due to the COVID-19 health crisis, which was the only connection between the Caribbean and the Far East. According to the Cuban Tourism Office, the annual average number of Chinese tourists to the island was 45,000.
Before the pandemic, Air China connected Havana with Beijing twice a week with Boeing 787-9, but with a stopover in Montreal/Trudeau (YUL), without the fifth freedom right of the air allowing passenger transport between Canada and Cuba.
Two weekly flights with Boeing 787-9 with a capacity for 293 passengers will be maintained, configured with 30 seats in business class, 34 in Premium Economy, and 229 in Economy. Thus, it will offer 1,172 seats per week.
The difference now is a two-hour stopover in Madrid (MAD) with the fifth freedom right of the air, making Air China a competitor between the Spanish capital and Havana, facing Air Europa, Iberia, Plus Ultra, and World2Fly. According to AENA Spain, in 2023, 512,602 passengers traveled between both destinations.
The first flight landed with 116 passengers, mostly Chinese tourists. «This connection will favor government and tourism exchanges. We will also work to ensure that this visa-free action is successful and facilitates these exchanges,» said Manuel Marrero, Prime Minister of Cuba.
Air China’s flight schedule to Havana
- Beijing – Madrid flight 865 PEK 07:00 – 12:45 MAD / Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- Madrid – Havana flight 865 MAD 14:45 – 18:40 HAV / Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- Havana – Madrid flight 866 HAV 23:55 – 15:30 (+1) MAD / Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- Madrid – Beijing flight 866 MAD 17:30 – 10:30 (+1) PEK / Wednesdays and Sundays.
According to Cuban authorities, the cost of a one-way trip from Havana to Madrid is $406, while the round trip costs $602, both including carry-on and two checked bags for free. The Beijing-Havana route costs $812 one way and $1,350 round trip with one included bag.
More Chinese airlines return to Latin America and the Caribbean
Progressively, Latin America is recovering its offer to East Asia, a distant market but one of the largest tourist flows in the region. Usually, this traffic is captured by Turkish Airlines, KLM, Air France, Emirates, Qatar Airways, or Ethiopian Airlines.
So far, Mexico had most of the flight offerings through All Nippon Airways (Tokyo), Aeromexico (Seoul and Tokyo), and now China Southern (Shenzhen). At the beginning of May, São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU) also began to have regular flights from Air China via Madrid, and China Southern resumed its connection to Mexico City.
Recently, Hainan Airlines showed interest in returning to Mexico, and China Eastern Airlines has received approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to operate to Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), Argentina, with a stopover in Spain.
