Air China looks for new long-haul markets after securing stronghold in Europe and the United States

China's three main airlines are all state-owned but the flagship is Air China, which is based in the capital of Beijing and whose Chinese name confers it the title of international carrier. Air China has been the most internationally-focused of the three, including China Eastern and China Southern. Air China has pursued rapid growth in Europe and the United States before its peers did, partially to reflect the opportunity of its Beijing base to be a hub, but also for Air China to represent the country in overseas markets. Being given commercial preference come with the trade-off of political responsibilities.

Air China faces is maximising its short-term opportunities in Europe and the US, so needs to find new markets. A list of planned new routes for 2015 is only rumoured, and includes long-haul flights to Addis Ababa, Johannesburg and Montreal-Havana. (Auckland has already been announced.) The list is logical and at the very least shows gaps in Air China's network the carrier has spoken of and could be expected to eventually close. The challenge will be in finding a balance between where passengers want to go and where Beijing wants the airline to go.