Dutch flag carrier KLM has made adjustments to its schedule, reducing frequencies on its Amsterdam-Beijing and Amsterdam-Shanghai routes. As reported by Aeroroutes, the airline is reducing its daily flight to the Chinese capital to five times a week between January and March next year, and from Jan. 8, flights to Shanghai will drop from seven to six flights a week. These changes will last until March 29.
The types of equipment for the routes will remain the same, with the flights to Beijing on its Boeing 787-9s and flights to Shanghai using a mix of 777-200ERs and 777-300ERs. Overall, KLM’s capacity to the Chinese Mainland will be reduced by around 20%.
European Airlines Struggle in China
Many European airlines are either reducing their presence or pulling out of China completely due to the unprofitability of operations. Polish carrier LOT, SAS, and Virgin Atlantic will all leave the country entirely next month, while Lufthansa and British Airways have both reduced their presence.
The blame has been directed toward the ‘unlevel playing field’ caused by the Russian airspace unavailability. European carriers are forced to take routes that result in on average two hours longer flying time than their Chinese counterparts, harming their competitiveness as a result.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, KLM flew to five cities in China and had almost double its current capacity. However, the slow recovery of intercontinental travel and Russian airspace meant the market was never able to fully recover.
Redirecting Focus
European carriers are shifting capacity to other regions. SAS recently announced the launch of flights from Copenhagen to Seoul, a brand new destination, after withdrawing from the Chinese market entirely. The SkyTeam member is also increasing its capacity to Tokyo.
Virgin Atlantic, another airline that has recently withdrawn from China, is also rumored to be launching flights between London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon in the near future, after the merger of Asiana and Korean Air. Airlines from Japan and South Korea, unlikely their Chinese counterparts, do not use the Russian airspace and take similar routes as European carriers.
Besides South Korea, European airlines are also redeploying capacity to other markets. KLM has reportedly increased frequency to Cape Town and Delhi during the same period.
