The flight was due to be operated starting September, but Tarom’s general manager, Christian Heinzmann, states: “We’ve been awaiting the approval to fly in the Russian airspace for several months, but to no avail so far. Toward China, the shortest and less costly route is the one including the Russian airspace”.
Meanwhile, Romanian premier Victor Ponta is due to go to China next week, on an official visit, the second one as a matter of fact, after last year’s.
Tarom plans to operate two flights per week to Beijing. “We will have two flights per week on the Bucharest-Beijing route with a 209-seat Airbus. We already have the slots, we’re just waiting for the Russians’ approval,” said Tarom’s general manager.
He states he carried out a survey on the impact of this flight and that data shows it will be profitable, considering the business, touristic and ethnic traffic potential. “Prices will depend on class, period,” he added.
The flight to Beijing would last nine hours. Currently, there is no direct flight to China from Romania.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)