Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

CHINA Southern Airlines officially resumed its Shenzhen-Osaka route yesterday, coinciding with the launch of the 2025 summer-autumn flight season.

The daily service marks a strategic expansion of China-Japan air connectivity as Osaka prepares to host World Expo 2025.

The route will use an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, with CZ8425 departing from Shenzhen at 9:30 a.m. (Beijing Time) and arriving at Kansai International Airport at 2:15 p.m. (Japan Time). Return flight CZ8426 will depart from Osaka at 3:30 p.m. (Japan Time) and arrive in Shenzhen at 6:45 p.m. (Beijing Time).

The resumption comes as Osaka anticipates hosting 28 million visitors for Expo 2025 (Apr. 13-Oct. 13). Aviation analysts note that the route’s revival strengthens business and tourism links between two innovation powerhouses.

This is the second Japanese route that the airline has resumed in Shenzhen this year, following the resumption of the Shenzhen-Tokyo route in February.

The cities have deepened ties since signing a 2018 cooperation memorandum, which culminated in the 2023 Shenzhen-Osaka Innovation Forum. Industry observers expect the renewed air link to further accelerate knowledge exchange in the areas of smart city development and green technology.

China Southern’s new summer-autumn schedule features significant network expansion from Shenzhen. The operator will increase international flights from 76 per week to 105. It will also increase the number of flights to Mexico City to three per week. Flights to Bangkok will increase to 11 per week and 11 per week to Ho Chi Minh/Hanoi.

Capitalizing on the “Hong Kongers Going North” trend, the airline has partnered with CTS Bus to offer a 55% discount on Hong Kong-Shenzhen Airport cross-border bus tickets for China Southern Airlines passengers (March-May 2025). It also offers dedicated English-language counters at the Shenzhen airport for international travelers.