China's Hainan Airlines began operations Tuesday on the direct route between Tel Aviv and Shanghai when the first plane carrying hundreds of tourists from China landed at Ben-Gurion Airport, according to Maariv.
Hainan will operate three weekly flights on the route, using new Dreamliner airplanes. The company launched its first line in Tel Aviv in April 2016. According to figures released by Hainan today, between January and July of 2017, 64,600 Chinese visitors entered Israel, indicating a 66% increase compared to last year.