Frankfurt-Bangkok-Sanya airline opens

Condor Flugdienst launched the first fifth-freedom airline, the Frankfurt–Bangkok–Sanya service, on July 27, with the first flight landing at Sanya Phoenix International Airport at 17:22. The route connects Hainan with Europe's hub system. 

Flights run thrice weekly: inbound DE2362 leaves Frankfurt at 2:10, stops over in Bangkok, arrives in Sanya at 17:10; outbound DE2363 departs Sanya at 18:40, arrives in Bangkok at 20:40, and reaches Frankfurt at 11:15 the next day. (All are Beijing Time)  

In March, at ITB Berlin, Sanya Phoenix International Airport and the Sanya tourism board signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with Condor, paving the way for the Frankfurt–Bangkok–Sanya fifth-freedom passenger route.

Airport executives said the link plugs a critical gap between Sanya and Western Europe's top hub, giving European travelers seamless access to Hainan via Frankfurt's extensive air network and offering Southeast Asian visitors an easy way to reach the island.

Condor Flugdienst's airplane lands at Sanya Phoenix International Airport [Photo/Sanya Daily]