newstodate.aero

May 10, 2019 (newstodate): Norway is eagerly looking forward to the launch of flights on the first non-stop scheduled flights between Oslo and Beijing on May 15, 2019.
   Starting from this date, the Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines will be offering three weekly rotations between the two destinations with a mix of Airbus A330-300 and Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
   Sharing the pleasure with 292 passengers in the cabin will be some 16 tonnes of Norwegian seafood on the lower deck, much to the pleasure of Norwegian seafood exporters that have yearned for this service for years.
   Already in December 2017, Hainan Airlines applied with the country's regulator CAAC for licence to operate five weekly flights to Oslo, including three weekly rotations between Beijing and Oslo and two weekly rotations on the route between Oslo and Shenzhen, close to Hong Kong in southern China.  
   The flights from Shenzhen have obviously later been shelved, however - for the time being at least..
   From the sidelines, the country's low-cost carrier Norwegian is probably looking at the event with mixed feelings.
   Norwegian has long been pressing the Norwegian and Scandinavian negotiators in the Russia-Scandinavia aviation talks to gain access to the market in China and other Asian countries by obtaining a share in the quota of Sibir overflight rights which remains an obstacle to future China traffic from Norway.
    The three Scandinavian countries negotiate air services agreements and other aviation policy issues with other countries jointly, with Norway in charge of negotiations with Russia on behalf of also Denmark and Sweden.  
   Norwegian voices are, however, increasingly calling for Norway to quit the joint Scandinavian approach to negotiate instead own air traffic rights with Russia in an effort to fight off the alleged vested interests of the Scandinavian carrier SAS that is today the only airline designated on the Scandinavian side.