A big panda came to Pulkovo to see off the passengers of the fisrt flight.
The carrier will operate the flights twice a week (Wednesdays and Fridays) on Airbus A330-300 aircraft accommodating up to 301 passengers.
Sichuan Airlines commenced scheduled service from St. Petersburg to the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan, Chengdu. The inaugural flight arrived to Pulkovo St. Petersburg Airport at 19.00 on Friday, January 26, 2018.
The carrier will operate the flights twice a week (Wednesdays and Fridays) on Airbus A330-300 aircraft accommodating up to 301 passengers.
Evgeniy Ilyin, Chief Commercial Officer of the Pulkovo airport managing company Northern Capital Gateway LLC: “China remains one of the fastest growing destinations in Pulkovo Airport route network. In 2017, the direct traffic between St. Petersburg and the cities in the PRC increased by 32% compared to the similar period of 2016, exceeding the mark of 223,000 passengers. Chengdu is in the list of strategic routes for the St. Petersburg airport and now becomes the fourth destination in China with the scheduled service from the northern capital of Russia. We are confident that the launch of the new route will promote the mutual development of our regions, strengthen the ties between our cities and generate new tourism flows from both sides”.
Chengdu is one of the most densely populated cities in China, and is a major business, commercial and cultural center in the country. The city is world-famous for the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding located there.
Throughout 2017, three Chinese carriers performed direct flights between St. Petersburg and three points in China: Beijing (Hainan Airlines), Urumqi (China Southern Airlines), and Shanghai (China Eastern Airlines). Additionally, charter flights were operated to Beijing, Wuhan, Macau and Taipei.
In December, 2016, Pulkovo became the first airport in Russia to gain the Welcome Chinese certificate by the Chinese Academy of Tourism, confirming the high level of service for the Chinese passengers in the terminal. Several European airports already have such certificates, e.g. Rome’s Fiumicino and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle.
Pulkovo St. Petersburg Airport is the fourth airport in Russia for passenger traffic. In 2017, Pulkovo welcomed 16.1 million people marking the absolute record high in the history of the airport.
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