Hainan Launches First Israel Flights

May 1, 2016 |China’s Hainan Airlines has launched its first ever direct flight to Israel, linking Beijing with Tel Aviv. The new service will now run three times a week, departing the Chinese capital every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 0155 and arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at 0810. The return flights will leave Tel Aviv at 1535 and arrive in Beijing at 0555 the next morning. Hainan Airlines will deploy an Airbus A330 aircraft on the new route, configured with 36 flat-bed seats in business class and 178 seats in economy. Hainan Airlines becomes the first Chinese carrier flying direct to Israel, and a second airline operating the Beijing-Tel Aviv route, following El Al, Israel’s national carrier.