A Capital Airlines flight lands at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. [Photo/Hangzhou Daily]

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in Zhejiang province resumed passenger service to Vancouver on Oct 2, restoring a passenger air link to North America after several years.

The route, operated by Capital Airlines flight JD471, runs once a week on Fridays via Qingdao, Shandong province. The resumption restores Hangzhou's passenger connectivity across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Oceania, and Africa.

The Hangzhou-Qingdao-Vancouver route was first launched in 2016 and served travelers between eastern China and Canada for study, family visits, business, and tourism. The restored service retains its Hangzhou departure and Qingdao stopover and is operated by an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft offering business and economy cabins.

The return of the Vancouver service marks a key expansion of Zhejiang's international air network. Hangzhou airport has continued to expand intercontinental routes in recent years, though North American services had been suspended. The Vancouver route fills that gap and gives the airport passenger connections spanning five continents.

Vancouver, on Canada's west coast, is an important gateway between North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The route is expected to support travel and cooperation between the two sides in areas including the digital economy, green development, modern agriculture, and culture and tourism.