Sheremetyevo International Airport confirmed late on 18 July that Tianjin Airlines has resumed its twice-weekly Chongqing (CKG) – Moscow (SVO) service after a 16-month suspension. Flight GS7959 now departs Chongqing every Tuesday and Saturday evening, arriving in Moscow the same night thanks to favourable tailwinds, with the return leg operated on Wednesdays and Sundays. The restoration strengthens Chongqing’s position as an export-manufacturing hub with direct access to the European market. Before the pause, the route handled around 90,000 passengers annually, 35 % of whom were business travellers linked to the municipality’s motor-vehicle and electronics clusters. Industry insiders say forward bookings have rebounded to 70 % of 2024 levels, aided by China’s 30-day visa-free policy for Russian citizens and Moscow’s simplified e-visa for Chinese nationals. Sheremetyevo has upgraded its Business Aviation Centre to offer Chinese passengers Mandarin-language signage, UnionPay acceptance and a dedicated fast-track immigration lane. Onboard, Tianjin Airlines has introduced a Chongqing hot-pot-themed meal in premium economy to showcase regional culture. Cargo holds are expected to run at near-capacity, carrying lithium-battery components outbound and Russian beef and timber products inbound. For multinational firms with bases in Western China, the flight cuts door-to-door transit times to under 13 hours compared with 20 hours via Beijing or Shanghai. Logistics providers DHL and SF Express have signed block-space agreements to guarantee belly-hold allotments, citing surging demand for high-value semiconductors and smart-device parts. Tianjin Airlines says it is assessing an additional weekly frequency for the winter season and is discussing code-share options with Aeroflot to feed onward connections to St Petersburg and Kaliningrad. If approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the expansion would mark the strongest China–Russia secondary-city link since pre-pandemic times.
Source: AKM Press (Sheremetyevo release)
