虎嗅APP·2025-07-15 14:45Group 1 - The article discusses British Airways' request for China to include British citizens in its 30-day visa-free policy to boost market demand for the China-UK route [3][4][10] - Since the suspension of the Beijing-London route last year, British Airways has been observing the situation, indicating a potential urgency to return to the Beijing market [6][10] - The article highlights that many foreign airlines, including British Airways, have left the Chinese market but have not made definitive statements about permanently exiting [12][20][38] Group 2 - The current state of China's inbound and outbound travel market is not fully recovered, with statistics showing low recovery rates for international arrivals from countries like the US (45.24%) and Germany (56.19%) as of June [31][32] - The geopolitical situation, including the Russia-Ukraine war, has complicated air travel routes, increasing costs and reducing the feasibility for foreign airlines to return to the Chinese market [35][36][38] - Chinese airlines have rapidly filled the void left by foreign carriers, with significant increases in seat capacity on European routes compared to 2019, such as Air China increasing capacity by 24% [41][42] Group 3 - Despite the expansion of international routes by Chinese airlines, profitability remains a challenge, with major airlines reporting significant losses in the first quarter of 2025 [49][50] - The competitive landscape has led to complaints from foreign airlines about unfair competition, as Chinese carriers benefit from lower costs and subsidies [51][52] - The article concludes that while Chinese airlines have captured market share, the sustainability of this growth is uncertain if revenues do not keep pace with expansion efforts [53]