The Air Transport Network Between China and Spain During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The air transport network between China and Spain constitutes a market with a high strategic value and an extraordinary capacity of growth. In 2019, more than half a million Chinese tourists visited Spain, fact that demonstrates the strengthening of Chinese tourism. However, as the world is facing an unprecedented global health, social and economic crisis with COVID-19 pandemic, travel and tourism is one of the most affected sectors. The introduction of measures ranging from border closures and travel bans, including internal mobility restrictions such as lockdowns and quarantine for income passengers, has affected air transport between China and Spain and tourism between both countries has come to a temporary standstill. This paper describes the historical development of air connectivity between China and Spain based on passenger and air traffic flow evolution with source of data until tourism was paralyzed as a result of the worldwide pandemic. Moreover, it provides an outline of the impact of COVID-19 on the Spanish and Chinese aviation industry, emphasizing in the loss of airline capacity due to travel restrictions.