Chinese cities like Xiamen, Nanjing, Chongqing and Xi\u2019an have successively launched direct flights to Paris. At the same time, the Shanghai\u2013Marseille route is ramping up rapidly.<\/p>\n
A new trend is emerging: China\u2013France routes are no longer centered solely on Paris.<\/p>\n
For a long time, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport handled almost all air connectivity between the two countries. High-frequency flights linking Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou with Paris formed the backbone of the market.<\/p>\n
But this \u201csingle-hub\u201d structure is beginning to shift. Following the launch of the Shanghai Pudong\u2013Marseille route by Shanghai Airlines, a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, in 2024, new routes to cities such as Lyon may also be on the horizon.<\/p>\n
According to the latest data from VariFlight, Chinese carriers now account for 77.02% of capacity on China\u2013France routes, compared with just 22.98% for Air France.<\/p>\n
Six Chinese airlines\u2014including China Eastern Airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines\u2014have taken a leading position through multi-city expansion. China Eastern and Air China each hold a 29.83% share, jointly ranking first.<\/p>\n
This marks a clear shift: in the French market, Chinese airlines are no longer just filling gaps\u2014they are taking the lead.<\/p>\n
Paris remains the dominant hub. However, as traffic from China\u2019s tier-one and key tier-two cities continues to grow, its capacity is nearing saturation.<\/p>\n
Growth is now seeking new outlets. In the first half of 2025, six routes from major hubs\u2014Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei and Guangzhou\u2014to France carried 969,400 passengers, up 6.63% year-on-year.<\/p>\n
Among them, Shanghai grew by 14.5%, Hong Kong by 1.3%, Taipei by 2.9%, and Guangzhou by 29.4%, while Beijing declined by 6.4%.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, five routes from secondary hubs\u2014Xiamen, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Xi\u2019an and Chengdu\u2014carried 102,000 passengers in the first half, surging 79.7% year-on-year, with an average load factor of 83.8%.<\/p>\n
The Shanghai\u2013Marseille route has reached 150 round-trip flights, nearly matching Xiamen\u2013Paris (156 flights) and surpassing Shenzhen\u2013Paris in frequency.<\/p>\n