HAIKOU /China/, 22 October. /TASS/. China's Hainan Airlines plans to open a new route from the city of Haikou (south China's Hainan Province) to Dubai on November 15, Hainan Daily reported.

According to the paper, these flights will be operated twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. This will be Hainan Airlines' second flight from Haikou to the UAE: the airline currently flies from the Chinese city to Abu Dhabi.

The report highlights that Haikou is connected to other cities in the region and across the world through a well-developed network of air routes. Hainan Airlines currently flies from the Chinese city to Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Hong Kong, London, Macau, Melbourne, Auckland, Sydney, Singapore, Seattle, Ho Chi Minh City and a number of other places.

On 1 June 2020, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council of China issued a program for the establishment of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The document includes the creation of a special customs zone on this tropical island. The Chinese authorities aim to complete construction of the free port by 2025, giving the island a mechanism to ensure open trade and investment. By 2035, the authorities plan to ensure free trade and investment, cross-border movement of capital, entry and exit of people and freight on Hainan.

In 2023, more than 90 million Chinese and foreign tourists visited Hainan Province, an increase of 49.9% from 2022.