Direct air link between China and Portugal on the horizon

The China Civil Aviation Authority has notified its counterpart in Portugal of the intention of Capital Airlines, of the Hainan Airlines Group, to start operating direct flights between Portugal and China, Portuguese financial daily Jornal de Negócios reported in Lisbon.
“The National Civil Aviation Authority has received communication from its Chinese counterpart, giving an account of the intention of a Chinese air carrier at the end of the year, to start operating scheduled air services on the Hangzhou – Beijing – Lisbon route on a twice weekly basis,” a spokesman from the Portuguese regulator, which must approve the link, told the newspaper.
Capital Airlines wants to expand its operations in Europe and has requested authorization from the China Civil Aviation Authority to launch the first direct flight between China and Portugal, according to a report published Monday by Travel Daily, based on information published by the Civil Aviation Authority on its page, confirming the receipt of the offer.
If approved, the new route will be launched in December, becoming the first direct link between China and Portugal, and the flight is expected to use an Airbus A330 with 33 seats in business class and 178 in economy. MDT/Macauhub