China Southern Launches Guangzhou–Bishkek Direct Service

China Southern successfully launched its direct passenger service between Guangzhou and Bishkek on March 29, as the inaugural flight CZ8147 carrying 134 passengers arrived at Manas International Airport in Bishkek. As the only direct passenger service between southern China and Kyrgyzstan currently, the new route further strengthens air connectivity between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Central Asia, while supporting economic, trade and cultural exchanges between the two nations.

Bishkek is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. It is also an important industrial center in Central Asia. China Southern will operate the Guangzhou–Bishkek route under flight numbers CZ8147 and CZ8148 every Wednesday and Sunday using a Boeing 737-8 aircraft configured with 178 seats. The outbound flight departs from Guangzhou at 17:20 (Beijing Time) and arrives at Manas International Airport at 21:45 (Local Time), a 6-hour-25-minute journey. The return flight departs from Bishkek at 23:20 (Local Time) and lands in Guangzhou at 07:35 the following day (Beijing Time), with a flight duration of 6 hours and 15 minutes.

For the 2026 summer season, China Southern operates four routes between China and Kyrgyzstan, which are Guangzhou–Bishkek, Beijing Daxing–Bishkek, Urumqi–Bishkek and Urumqi–Osh. Following the launch of the Guangzhou–Bishkek service, China Southern will offer a total of 11 weekly round-trip passenger flights between the two nations.

As economic and trade ties between China and countries across Central and West Asia continue to deepen, China Southern has also increased frequencies on several regional routes since March, including services from Urumqi to Tbilisi and Yerevan. Starting in April, the airline plans to operate 20 routes connecting China with Central and West Asia, with total weekly frequencies exceeding 150 flights, providing passengers with more convenient travel options across the region.