With several resumed international routes in the past summer season, Sichuan Airlines published its latest flight schedule in September.
Sichuan Airlines published its latest international flight routes plan in September on its social media page. It contains five routes that have been resumed during the past summer season.
Routes resumed during the past summer season
In July and August, Sichuan Airlines resumed five international and regional routes. The airline said the intensive resumption is mainly because of the boost in travel demand and the ease of the Chinese quarantine policy toward international travelers.
| From | To | Date of Resumption | Frequency of operation | Flight Day | Aircraft Type |
| Chengdu (CTU) | Hong Kong SAR | July 12th | Three flights weekly | Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday | Airbus A330 |
| Chengdu (CTU) | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | July 25th | One flight weekly | Sunday | Airbus A330 |
| Chengdu (CTU) | St. Petersburg, Russia | July 27th | One flight weekly | Wednesday | Airbus A330 |
| Chengdu (CTU) | Helsinki, Finland | July 29th | One flight weekly | Thursday | Airbus A330 |
| Chengdu (CTU) | Tokyo, Japan | August 20th | One flight weekly | Saturday | Airbus A330 |
Sichuan Airlines resumed its operations between Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) and Helsinki International Airport (HEL) after more than two years on July 29th. The route is operated by Airbus A330 aircraft once a week on Fridays.
Sichuan Airlines’ Chengdu to Helsinki route was initially launched during the summer of 2019 and stopped due to the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. Before the halt, the route ran from Chengdu to Copenhagen via Helsinki Airport. Now the route runs directly between Helsinki and Chengdu.
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The operation from Chengdu to Tokyo has also been halted for more than two years. On August 20th, Chengdu Airlines 3U3961/2 resumed operation between Chengdu and Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT).
Chengdu Airlines resumed operation between Chengdu and Tokyo after over two years on August 20th, 2022. Photo: Sichuan Airlines
Other scheduled international routes
Sichuan Airlines maintains its operation to Canada, Egypt, Thailand, and Hong Kong SAR on its plan for September.
| Country | Route | Flight number | Flight time (local time) | Frequency | Flight date |
| Canada | Chengdu – Vancouver | 3U8501 | 23:10-20:00 | Tuesday | September 6th/13th/20th/27th |
| Vancouver – Chengdu | 3U8502 | 13:45-18:10 (+1) | Wednesday | September 7th/14th/21st/28th | |
| Egypt | Chengdu – Cairo | 3U3867 | 10:00-14:10 | Monday | September 12th/19th/26th |
| Cairo – Chengdu | 3U3868 | 17:05-8:20 (+1) | |||
| Chengdu – Cairo | 3U8391 | 9:20-13:30 | Friday | September 9th/16th/23rd//30th | |
| Cairo – Chengdu | 3U8392 | 16:20-7:40 (+1) | |||
| Thailand | Chengdu – Bangkok | 3U8145 | 14:25-16:35 | Wednesday | only September 14th |
| Bangkok – Chengdu | 3U8146 | 17:45-22:00 | |||
| Hong Kong SAR | Chengdu – Hong Kong SAR | 3U3959 | 14:20-17:00 | Every Thursday and Every other Sunday | September 8th/15th/22nd/29th |
| Hong Kong SAR – Chengdu | 3U3960 | 18:30-21:00 |
Challenges that Sichuan Airlines is facing
According to the announcement from Sichuan Airlines, for the first half of 2022, Sichuan Airlines reported operating revenue of 7.594 billion RMB ($1.09 billion) and a net loss of 4.61 billion RMB ($662 million). The net loss in 2020 and 2021 are 2.48 billion RMB ($356 million) and 1.82 billion RMB ($261 million).
In other words, since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the net loss for Sichuan Airlines has reached 8.91 billion RMB ($1.279 billion).
Sichuan Airlines faces a huge net loss since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. Photo: Sichuan Airlines
Chengdu, with a population of over 21 million, is under lockdown since the night of September 1st due to the recent COVID spread. The impact on Chengdu-based Sichuan Airlines’ revenue figures in the third quarter will likely yield a further negative result.