Just eight months after first arriving to the Houston market, Air China has already expanded its schedule at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), offering passengers access to daily service to Beijing’s Capital International Airport (PEK) in China. 

Representatives with the Houston Airport System (HAS) helped the Air China team celebrate the momentous occasion by joining crew members aboard the Boeing 777-300 aircraft for a commemorative photograph, complete with flowers and cowboy hats. 

Air China customers were officially offered a choice of seven flights per week between IAH and PEK on Friday, March 28. Officials with Air China cite strong demand as the reason for the rapid expansion in service. 

“Strong demand from business and leisure travelers to China and destinations in Asia has accelerated the implementation of our growth strategy for Houston and the south central region of the United States,” Dr. Zhihang Chi, Air China’s Vice President for North America, stated when the expansion was first announced. “The additional flights will provide more options and flexibility to international travelers, allowing them to have more convenient connections to cities within China and beyond via our Beijing hub.” 

The exclusive national flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China launched service in Houston on July 11, 2013, initially operating four flights per week from the Terminal D facility at IAH. But the strong demand in the Houston market quickly convinced the Air China team that an expansion in frequency would be required in order to keep up with the growing passenger totals. 

Houston represented the first North American market expansion for Air China in more than three decades, joining Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Vancouver as the airline’s only North American gateway cities.