Air China Resumes Fascinating Cuba Flights

Air China Resumes Fascinating Cuba Flights

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You wouldn’t expect to see Air China operating a route between Spain and Cuba, but that’s exactly what’s about to happen, as flagged by AeroRoutes.

Air China launches Beijing to Madrid to Havana route

As of May 17, 2024, Air China will launch a new 2x weekly flight from Beijing (PEK) to Havana (HAV) via Madrid (MAD). The route will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 with the following schedule:

CA865 Beijing to Madrid departing 7:00AM arriving 12:45PM
CA865 Madrid to Havana departing 2:45PM arriving 6:30PM

CA866 Havana to Madrid departing 11:55PM arriving 3:30PM (+1 day)
CA866 Madrid to Beijing departing 5:30PM arriving 10:30AM (+1 day)

The entire journey between Beijing and Havana covers a distance of 10,378 miles, with the first sector covering 5,734 miles, and the second sector covering 4,644 miles.

Air China will fly from Beijing to Havana via Madrid

The flight between Madrid and Havana is a fifth freedom route, so you could fly the airline exclusively between those two cities. That’s not even Air China’s only fifth freedom flight out of Madrid, as the airline also flies to Sao Paulo (GRU).

For context, this Havana flight represents a service resumption to Cuba for Air China, though with a different route. Between 2015 and 2020, Air China operated a 3x weekly flight from Beijing (PEK) to Havana (HAV) via Montreal (YUL). That was also a fifth freedom flight, so flying from Montreal to Havana on Air China sure was an interesting option.

The Madrid to Havana route sure is a competitive one, as it’s already served by Air Europa, Cubana, Iberia, and World2Fly. Gosh, what I’d give to fly Cubana on that route (purely from an avgeek perspective!).

What’s Air China’s logic for flying to Cuba?

I can’t imagine this route is primarily motivated by commercial viability, though perhaps it won’t perform too poorly, given that it’s a fifth freedom route. There’s demand between Beijing and Madrid, and there’s demand between Madrid and Havana, so perhaps Air China won’t have issues filling seats, even if the yields aren’t great.

But I have to imagine the primary motivation here is political, and that this is about having a direct(ish) link between China and Cuba. That’s the only logical explanation, since it’s not like there’s much tourism demand between the two countries. Cargo is probably also a consideration, though I imagine that’s secondary.

Air China is far from the only airline to operate routes like this that are primarily politically motivated. For example, look at the long haul network of Conviasa, a Venezuelan airline. The company has flown between Caracas (CCS) and Damascus (DAM), Moscow (VKO), and Tehran (IKA). I think everyone can decide for themselves why those routes exist.

Bottom line

Air China is resuming service to Cuba, as the airline is adding a route from Beijing to Madrid to Havana. Before the pandemic, the airline flew from Beijing to Montreal to Havana, so this marks a service resumption. Flying Air China between Spain and Cuba has to be one of the more unusual fifth freedom flights out there.

What do you make of Air China’s new Cuba route?

Conversations (34)
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  1. Mike Guest

    Cuba can’t get technology from the west. The only new tech they get is Chinese. Cargo is first for this route, passengers second. I’ve seen it all first hand.

  2. Zee Guest

    I've flown on their YUL-HAV leg around during the Thanksgiving season of 2016. The flight was empty as hell, with probably 70 people across all 3 cabins in their 311-seat 777-300ER on the YUL-HAV flight, and 40ish on return.

    I'm assuming part of the reason for the pathetic load factor back then is that Canada requires transit visas for both Chinese and Cuban citizens, so people would rather fly via Europe when traveling between these...

    I've flown on their YUL-HAV leg around during the Thanksgiving season of 2016. The flight was empty as hell, with probably 70 people across all 3 cabins in their 311-seat 777-300ER on the YUL-HAV flight, and 40ish on return.

    I'm assuming part of the reason for the pathetic load factor back then is that Canada requires transit visas for both Chinese and Cuban citizens, so people would rather fly via Europe when traveling between these 2 countries unless they work for the Chinese government, state-backed enterprises, or are government-sponsored students (surprisingly there're about 3k Chinese students in Cuba, studying Spanish or Medicine, and most of them receive Chinese scholarship).

    Hopefully the new route, with less frequency and no visa restrictions, would work out for them.

  3. InternationalTraveler Diamond

    Lucky, you should review that Cubans flight. I suggest to review the approved 12 travel categories:

    https://cu.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/traveling-to-cuba/

  4. Jung Guest

    not to blow on democracy, but i think for the past 2 decades, China as authtorian state have helped much of third world country in term of basic infrastracture. Look at Maldive for example, I go there every 3 to 4 years , everytime upon my arrival, I'm stunned by the new infrastructure build out from cross island bridge, sea water osmosis , LNG storage hub, to up coming air terminal and runway built out...

    not to blow on democracy, but i think for the past 2 decades, China as authtorian state have helped much of third world country in term of basic infrastracture. Look at Maldive for example, I go there every 3 to 4 years , everytime upon my arrival, I'm stunned by the new infrastructure build out from cross island bridge, sea water osmosis , LNG storage hub, to up coming air terminal and runway built out from team China. evidently given their local presidential and paliment elections its obvious reason they dumped team India for Team China. I am not speaking as fan of communist , but it is what it is what they're doing on their modern sphere of influence vs Western influences under fire arm and canons in the last century.

  5. William Guest

    Makes sense. Cuba is a holiday destination for Europeans. This just adds to the choice. Beautiful country. There is probably a healthy demand for flights, esp from Spain.

  6. iamhere Guest

    Interesting that they will fly over Russia.

    1. William Guest

      Why not? It is a Chinese airline.

  7. Guillermo Rodriguez Guest

    It is definitely political. At the end of the day, both countries are communist and unfortunately, Spain is on their way since they are so big in socialism.
    The U.S. should cut all flights to Cuba.

  8. NS Diamond

    Wondering whether is Air China re-launching PEK-IAH-PTY flights too. I heard that they used to fly this route since 2018. Does anyone know?

    1. MKLDH Gold

      Unlikely in the near future. Flight slots between US (Canada as well) and China are hard to come by nowadays and I don't think IAH is CA's priority. That's why both its 5th freedom flights are via MAD now.

  9. Ricardo Guest

    São Paulo too. After 4 years Air China is coming back to South America (GRU), also with a stop in Madrid.

  10. W Diamond

    @Ben -

    "CA866 Havana to Madrid departing 11:55PM arriving 3:30PM (+1 day)
    CA866 Madrid to Beijing departing 5:30PM arriving 10:30AM (+1 day)"

    I think that last flight arrives 2 calendar days after departing, not 1 day.

    1. Phillip Diamond

      It does but there are 2 +1s and each one refers to the departure of that particular leg!

  11. caelus678 Member

    I heard that if you have been to Cuba recently, you gonna have trouble applying visa entry to US.

    2 more replies
  12. Ross Guest

    How many European, Asian and North African countries have embassies in Havana? How else are diplomats and their families going to get there? It's not a daily flight, it's only twice a week. Government and NGO employees will fill the seats.

    3 more replies
  13. JOJO Guest

    Gotta support your fellow comrades in oppression and human suffering.

    1. Mason Guest

      At least they don't excuse it on democracy and freedom unlike some countries.

  14. Creditcrunch Diamond

    China has its eye on Cuba’s cobalt and nickel reserves for sure! and anything else that comes along is a bonus including tourism and political brinkmanship.

  15. Eskimo Guest

    It could well possibly be cargo.

    Have any of you ever seen the amount of cargo between MIA and HAV?

  16. 5 more replies
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Zee Guest

I've flown on their YUL-HAV leg around during the Thanksgiving season of 2016. The flight was empty as hell, with probably 70 people across all 3 cabins in their 311-seat 777-300ER on the YUL-HAV flight, and 40ish on return. I'm assuming part of the reason for the pathetic load factor back then is that Canada requires transit visas for both Chinese and Cuban citizens, so people would rather fly via Europe when traveling between these 2 countries unless they work for the Chinese government, state-backed enterprises, or are government-sponsored students (surprisingly there're about 3k Chinese students in Cuba, studying Spanish or Medicine, and most of them receive Chinese scholarship). Hopefully the new route, with less frequency and no visa restrictions, would work out for them.

2
Phillip Diamond

It does but there are 2 +1s and each one refers to the departure of that particular leg!

2
Mason Guest

Why would they be the New Axis? Because they like to violate human rights and oppress the democracy? Have you seen what the US have been doing over the years? And no, I'm not even brining what's happening in Gaza. If you think about it, there are no difference between what both have been doing, besides the scale. Yes, scales do matter, but wouldn't it be absurd to criticize others' and justify theirs, just because their ones are comparably minor? Funny to see this political side getting as patriotic as your opposition, when they want to hate some country. I don't even like CCP, and in fact am pretty against them. However, the US criticizing them is a pure nonsense.

2
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