On May 2, 2018, China Eastern Airlines began regular flights from St. Petersburg to Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi Province, the Pulkovo Airport press service reported.
You can fly directly from Pulkovo Airport to Xi'an Twice weekly until the end of the summer season. Flights will operate on Wednesdays and Fridays on wide-body A330-200 aircraft, which can accommodate 232 passengers.
Xi'an is one of the four ancient capitals of China. The city, over 3,000 years old, boasts a rich history and is considered one of the country's most iconic cultural centers. Xi'an was the starting point of the Silk Road and is also home to the famous Terracotta Army. It was in the vicinity of this city that several thousand life-size terracotta warrior statues were discovered in the 1970s near the tomb of the dynasty's founding emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
Xi'an will become the sixth city in China with direct air service to St. Petersburg, and the second destination for China Eastern Airlines flights from Pulkovo. The airline also operates scheduled flights to Shanghai this season. In 2017, China Eastern Airlines served 34,100 passengers at the airport in Russia's northern capital, an increase of 701,000 passengers compared to 2016.
Total direct passenger traffic between St. Petersburg and Chinese cities increased by 321,000 passengers in 2017, reaching 223,500. Another 121,600 passengers used connecting flights. During the summer, Pulkovo Airport will operate regular flights to Xi'an, Chengdu, Urumqi, Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai, with charter flights also planned to Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Shenzhen.
Source: trn-news.ru