Five star rated Hainan Airlines is opening a twice weekly service between Shenzhen and Dublin. Services are due to commence on 25 February, operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The Chinese airline already operates between Dublin and Beijing, via Edinburgh. This new service adds another destination in Asia, which is a growing market. Cathay Pacific also opened Dublin to Hong Kong in 2018.
Dublin to Shenzhen Schedule
Flights will operate on Monday and Friday, with the flight from China leaving at 01:30, arriving in Dublin at 07:00. This journey will take 13 hours and 30 minutes.
Pricing
Looking at flight pricing, you can get restricted economy class fares out of Dublin for around €400 return. I think this is pretty good value.
Overall Thoughts
Dublin Airport is now serving over 31,500,000 passengers per year, bringing it into the Top 15 airports in Europe. With a second runway due to be completed in 2020, this is only expected to increase over time. The airport believes a new terminal is not required, though some construction will take place to increase aircraft stands.
Chinese tourism into Ireland is rapidly expanding, and I wonder if the other large airlines in China have Dublin on their radar. You would expect them to be watching Hainan and Cathay Pacific’s expansion with interest.
What do you think of this new link between Ireland and China? Will the Shenzhen service be a success? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Tomás Del Coro via Wikimedia Commons.
Cabin images via Hainan Airlines.
