China Eastern Airlines inaugurated its first-ever service from Xi'an to Vienna.
This marks the first-ever direct connection between the Austrian capital and this Chinese centre operated by one of the largest airlines in the People's Republic of China. This also expands Vienna Airport's connectivity to Asia.
Further strengthening Vienna's air cargo hub
The new direct service to Xi'an also further enhances Vienna Airport's cargo business. Connections to Asia are particularly important for time-sensitive shipments such as high-tech goods, industrial components, e-commerce consignments and pharmaceutical products.
As the leading air cargo hub for Central and Eastern Europe, with more than 30 cargo flights per week, Vienna is further strengthening its role as a strategic logistics gateway between Europe and China through the new Xi’an route.
The connection creates additional capacity for both imports and exports and generates valuable economic benefits for Austria as a business and logistics location – the first flight has already delivered 12 tons of air cargo to Vienna.
Xi’an is globally renowned for the Terracotta Army and is known as one of China's most important cultural and economic hubs.
Effective immediately, the new route will operate year-round, three times per week, using an Airbus A330-200, further strengthening Vienna's access to the fast-growing Asian market.
Julian Jäger, joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport, said this new route strengthens our role as an international hub between Europe and Asia while creating fresh momentum for tourism, business and international partnerships in both directions.
Marking a milestone moment in bilateral ties, Mei Qi, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Austria, highlighted how the new Vienna–Xi'an route strengthens political, economic and cultural links between the two countries.
"This year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Austria. The official launch of the direct flight route between Xi'an and Vienna has opened up new opportunities for cooperation in various fields between the two regions. This is also a witness of the latest development of the friendly strategic partnership between our two countries."
"China has implemented the 30-day unilateral visa exemption policy for Austrian nationals and citizens of 44 other countries, and recorded over 82 million inbound foreign tourist arrivals in 2025. We look forward to seeing more people embarking on memorable journeys between East and West along this new route."
Ye Li, executive vice president of China Eastern Airlines, noted that the Vienna-Xi'an connection is long overdue. "China Eastern Airlines is proud to be the first airline to link these two world cities directly, opening up a new corridor between Europe and the heart of China."
China Eastern Airlines will now operate flights between Vienna and Xi'an three times weekly — on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
At present, China Eastern Airlines has a fleet of over 800 aircrafts, including the youngest and biggest fleet of widebody aircraft featuring leading commercial and technical models, serving over 150 million passengers annually and ranking among the world's top ten airlines.
