Air China is planning to begin scheduled nonstop flights to San Jose from Shanghai. The airline recently approached Chinese regulators and submitted an application for the regular service.
Media reports said that though the airline has contacted the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) with the request as an early procedural move, the approval for the route remains at the sole discretion of aviation regulators and can’t be considered now as a done deal.
The airline’s move has however shown that the groundwork for a flight between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport has been laid. The approval of the route will be considered to be an achievement for San Jose airport.
The Mineta San Jose International Airport is presently handling four nonstop flights on international routes, which include Tokyo Narita, London, Frankfurt and Beijing. These flights on these routes are being conducted by All Nippon Airways (Tokyo Narita), British Airways (London), Lufthansa (Frankfurt) and Hainan Airlines (Beijing). Air Canada has also announced it will be launching nonstop flights to Vancouver from San Jose.
While submitting application to the Chinese aviation regulators, Air China said that it is planning to operate five flights per week between Shanghai and San Jose with the help of an Airbus A330-200 aircraft. After approval by the CAAC, Air China will then file an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation as a final step to the launch process.
If Air China succeeds in getting approval for the route, then this would be the second nonstop flight to a Chinese city from Mineta San Jose International Airport. Earlier, Hainan Airlines had launched flights between Beijing and San Jose in June 2015.
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