Air Algerie launches first direct Shanghai-Algiers route

Air Algerie flight AH3082 landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Oct 27, marking the launch of the first direct air route between Shanghai and Algiers, the capital of Algeria. The inaugural flight was greeted with a water cannon salute.

Operated by Airbus A330 widebody aircraft, the route will run three times a week starting Oct 27. Flights depart Pudong at 6 am on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, arriving in Algiers at 2 pm local time. Return flights depart Algiers at 7 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, touching down in Shanghai at 4 am the following day.

The new service adds another Belt and Road destination to Shanghai's network, creating a more convenient "Air Silk Road" for bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges.

Algiers, framed by hills and dotted with historic sites, is Algeria's political, economic, cultural, and transportation center and home to the Kasbah of Algiers, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This year, Shanghai has been expanding its long-haul network, adding routes to Stockholm, Dublin, Adelaide, Tbilisi, and other cities, attracting more travelers from Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and China's Yangtze River Delta region.