Air China is launching a direct service between Beijing Capital International Airport and both Bucharest and Zagreb, with the first flight scheduled for 4 September 2026. The route is the first direct air link between China and either Romania or Croatia, and it operates on a three-times-weekly schedule.
The Route Details
The service operates as a single flight that stops in Bucharest before continuing to Zagreb — passengers can board or disembark at either European city. The configuration gives both capitals their first nonstop connection to mainland China.
- Route: Beijing (PEK) – Bucharest (OTP) – Zagreb (ZAG)
- Frequency: Three times per week
- Launch date: 4 September 2026
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport has been expanding its long-haul capacity over the past two years; the Air China service joins routes from Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Air Arabia connecting the Romanian capital internationally.
Why This Matters for the Balkans
Chinese outbound tourism to Central and Eastern Europe has been growing steadily since the removal of COVID-era restrictions, but direct routes have been scarce. Until now, travellers between China and Croatia or Romania have typically connected via hub airports in Istanbul, Doha, Frankfurt, or London — adding three to six hours to the journey.
The Zagreb leg is particularly notable for Croatia: the capital is the natural starting point for trips along the Dalmatian Coast, to Plitvice Lakes, and into Istria. A direct Beijing connection is expected to make Croatia a more accessible inclusion in multi-destination Balkan itineraries for Chinese travellers — and it opens a new booking route for travellers who can position themselves through Beijing from other Asian cities.
What to See From Zagreb and Bucharest
If you’re connecting on this route and want to extend your stay before or after the Balkan leg, both cities reward a few days.
Zagreb is Croatia’s compact, walkable capital with a historic upper town (Gornji Grad), excellent café culture, and the Museum of Broken Relationships. It’s also one of the better bases for day trips into the Croatian interior — Plitvice, Varaždin, and the Samobor castles are all within two hours. Our seven-day Croatia itinerary covers how to combine Zagreb with the coast efficiently.
Bucharest is often overlooked in favour of Transylvania but the capital has its own draw: the monumental Palace of Parliament (second-largest building in the world by floor area), Art Deco architecture in the Floreasca district, and a restaurant scene that has improved markedly in recent years.
Booking
Tickets on the Beijing–Bucharest–Zagreb service are now available through Air China’s website and through major GDS platforms. As with any new long-haul route, introductory pricing is typically available in the first weeks — worth checking if the Balkans is on your itinerary for autumn or winter 2026.