Air China has announced plans to connect Beijing Capital International Airport with Reykjavík Keflavík Airport from 26 October 2026, becoming the first Chinese carrier to serve Iceland. According to an Aviation Week report on 27 July, the route will operate three times per week with Airbus A330-300 aircraft and include fifth-freedom rights on the Copenhagen–Reykjavík sector, complementing the airline’s existing daily non-stop Beijing–Copenhagen flights. Market analysis by OAG and Sabre shows that roughly 27,000 passengers travelled between mainland China and Iceland in 2025, with Helsinki and Frankfurt as the most common connecting points. The new service eliminates the need for long back-tracking itineraries and offers Icelandic travellers seamless access to Air China’s 200-plus domestic destinations via its Beijing hub, while giving Chinese tourists and entrepreneurs a one-stop gateway to the Arctic nation’s renewable-energy and tourism sectors. The Reykjavik flight forms part of Air China’s broader European build-out: the flag-carrier expects to provide 4.5 million seats on China-Europe routes this summer, up 22.6 % year-on-year. Recent additions include Beijing-Venice, Beijing-Brussels and Chengdu-Brussels, with Bucharest and Zagreb slated for September. Chinese airlines enjoy a time-and-cost advantage on Europe services because they still have access to Russian airspace, unlike most EU competitors. For corporate mobility planners the announcement widens options for Sino-Nordic supply-chain visits and incentive travel. Firms should, however, note that the Beijing–Reykjavík tickets will be sold as two-segment fares (PEK–CPH–KEF) and that passengers transiting Copenhagen must comply with Schengen entry requirements, including biometrics for holders of Chinese passports.
Source: Aviation Week
