China airlines restart some Middle East flights

China’s Civil Aviation Administration confirmed several Chinese airlines have resumed some flights to the region.

Air China kicked it off with the first flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, followed by flights to Dubai.

China Southern Airlines operated a flight from Guangzhou to Riyadh, while Hainan Airlines flew two round-trip flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

These flights are primarily to bring back stranded passengers and flight crew.

None of the airlines have yet confirmed when regular scheduled services will resume.

Air China, China Eastern and China Southern have offered their customers free refunds rebooking for flights home from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

About 15,000 flights have been cancelled since hostilities began on February 28.