Air China adds more Belt and Road routes

Air China has launched direct flights between Beijing and Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, with two new services to follow, as the nation's flag carrier looks to boost air links between China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Hanoi route opened on Friday, and next month services will be launched between Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and London; and between Beijing and the Russian city of Irkutsk via Hulunbuir Hailar Airport in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the company said.

The airline had previously launched three other international flights this year linking China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative: Hangzhou to Nha Trang, Vietnam; Chengdu to Bangkok, Thailand; and Beijing to Copenhagen, Denmark.