Portugal’s English-language daily The Portugal News reports that Beijing Capital Airlines will launch a weekly Beijing Daxing–Lisbon flight in late June, operating for roughly three months with Airbus A330 aircraft. The announcement on 7 April adds a second China–Portugal non-stop, complementing the carrier’s existing Hangzhou–Lisbon link. The route returns direct passenger connectivity between the capitals for the first time since early 2020 and offers corporates an alternative to multi-stop itineraries via Frankfurt or Dubai. Flight JD627 will leave Beijing Monday mornings, arriving in Lisbon mid-afternoon, with the return JD628 departing the same evening. Timing is designed to feed Chinese outbound leisure demand into Portugal’s peak tourist season while giving Iberian exporters overnight bellyhold access to northern China. Travel managers should note that Chinese carriers can still traverse Russian airspace, shaving over an hour off westbound flying time compared with European competitors. Seat inventory is limited—one rotation per week initially—so mobility teams should secure allocations early for project crews and assignees. For Schengen-visa applicants in Beijing, appointment availability has improved since the Portuguese consulate outsourced to VFS Global, but lead times remain around 15 days. The restored connection also dovetails with China’s 30-day visa-waiver scheme for Portuguese passport holders (effective until December 2026), potentially boosting two-way executive visits and facilitating short-term assignments.
Source: The Portugal News
