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Israel, China Resume Direct Flights After Halt Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

A Hainan Airlines flight from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport in southern China landed Tuesday at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport outside of Tel Aviv, marking the resumption of direct passenger flights between China and Israel, which were suspended in February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Boeing 787 aircraft, Flight HU 743, took off from Shenzhen on Tuesday at 1:30 am China Standard Time, and landed 11 hours and 50 minutes later, at 7:20 am Israel Standard Time. Wei Ran, general manager of Hainan Airlines’ office in Israel, said that by resuming the route, Hainan Airlines aims to boost economic and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Direct Hainan Airlines flights between Tel Aviv and Shanghai are to resume by the end of the year, said Wei.