Manas International Airport in Bishkek has announced that new regular flights between Bishkek and Beijing are to be carried out three times a week.
The first flight from Beijing to Bishkek carried 90 passengers, while there were 150 people on the return flight. Direct flights from Bishkek to Chinese cities are operated by companies from Russia, Kazakhstan and China. The Chinese airline China Southern Airlines carries passengers from Beijing.
The Kyrgyz government hopes that an increase in the number of flights from China will bring new economic opportunities and an increase in trade turnover between the two countries. Tourist flow from China, which had practically stopped since the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to restart.
The first large group of tourists from China arrived in Bishkek in April last year on a flight from Urumqi. Earlier, representatives of the Kyrgyz tourism industry held a meeting with Chinese tour companies and representatives of the Chinese ministry of economy, where a simplified electronic visa system for Chinese tourists was introduced.
