Hainan Airlines inaugurated the first nonstop service between China and the Czech Republic with flight HU7937 which landed at Vaclav Havel Airport Prague at 7:10 am on September 23rd local time. Following the successful inaugural flight of the carrier's Beijing-Prague route, Hainan Airlines held a brief welcoming ceremony at Vaclav Havel Airport Prague, with guests including Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ma Keqing in attendance.
Congratulating Hainan Airlines on the success of the inaugural flight, Ma Keqing said that bilateral relations between China and the Czech Republic are moving ahead steadily in every aspect, and that the opening of the direct route will play an important role in strengthening interpersonal communications and cooperation between the two countries, while creating an opportunity for the two countries to make further progress on their major partnerships.
Hainan Airlines president Xie Haoming said, "The Beijing-Prague route is the first nonstop service between China and the Czech Republic. We hope the air bridge, which serves as a platform for Sino-Czech friendship, can provide safe, convenient and comfortable air travel services to tourists from both countries. With the implementation of China's One Belt, One Road strategy, cooperation between Chinese and European aviation markets will further expand, creating many opportunities for business travel and outbound tourism between China and European countries. The Beijing-Prague route will provide more convenience for governmental and non-governmental exchanges between the two countries."
The Beijing-Prague route is Hainan Airlines' seventh European route following Beijing-Brussels, Beijing-Berlin, Beijing-Moscow, Beijing-St. Petersburg, Hangzhou-Xi'an-Paris and Chongqing-Rome. The launch of the Beijing-Prague route will further improve Hainan Airlines' global network.
