BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Shenzhen Airlines has launched a new route between Brunei and Shenzhen, establishing a direct air link between the sultanate and one of southern China’s major economic hubs.

The service, which began on September 29, is expected to strengthen tourism and connectivity between Brunei and China while giving travellers from both markets more direct access to each other.

The new connection comes as Shenzhen prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting this November, while Brunei gears up for Visit Brunei 2027 — a national tourism campaign targeting 900,000 international visitor arrivals to the sultanate.

Anthony Lim, director of APG Brunei, which represents Shenzhen Airlines and other international carriers in the sultanate, said the air link will also connect Bruneian travellers to a wider network across China, including Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing and Xinjiang.

The service will initially operate on a charter basis for three months, with four flights a week, before transitioning to three scheduled flights a week.

Rebuilding China-Brunei tourism links

Lim said traveller demand from China remains strong, but direct connectivity has been a key challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese visitors have continued travelling to Brunei, although many have been arriving via regional hubs such as Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Singapore, he said.

Before the pandemic, Brunei was connected to several Chinese cities through Royal Brunei Airlines. Since the national carrier resumed direct services to mainland China in 2023, however, its network has been limited to Beijing, Nanning and Hangzhou.

Brunei recorded approximately 74,000 Chinese visitors in 2019, before arrivals plunged during the pandemic. The market has since recovered, reaching 45,858 visitors in 2025.

Lim said the new route could help bring Chinese visitor numbers closer to pre-pandemic levels by broadening access to Brunei from different parts of China.

“We hope through this Shenzhen Airlines networking, we can promote more incoming tourism to Brunei from different provinces of China,” he said.