BUDAPEST — A direct flight from Beijing landed at Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport on July 7, marking the official resumption of regular passenger flights between Hungary and China.

This is the first scheduled passenger flight between Beijing and Budapest since direct air links were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

The Air China flight, launched in 2015, will operate every Thursday, arriving in Budapest at around 6 pm and departing for Beijing at 9:50 pm.

The decision to resume the Beijing-Budapest flight is a milestone that will promote tourism, trade and the overall Hungarian economy, said Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian minister of foreign affairs and trade on his Facebook page earlier.