The inaugural seventh-freedom flight of the Hainan FTP, from Prague to Sanya, arrives in Sanya. Sanya Phoenix International Airport held a water salute ceremony to welcome the arrival of the flight. (Source: hinews.cn)

On December 22, 2025, Czech tourist Veronika and over a hundred other passengers arrived directly in Sanya from Prague on flight DV482, operated by Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines.

The flight was the Hainan Free Trade Port's (FTP) first under the Seventh Freedom of the Air framework. It also marked China's launch of the highest level of liberalization in international aviation operations.

Previously, tourists from the central European nation could only reach Hainan by connecting through intermediate destinations, a much longer and more tiring affair. Thanks to SCAT's new Sanya⇌Prague route, visiting the tropical island province is as simple as hopping on a plane.

Passengers from the Czech Republic disembark from SCAT Airlines flight DV482 in Sanya. (Source: hinews.cn)

The Seventh Freedom of the Air is regarded as one of the most open rights in international aerial transport. It allows airlines to break free from the restriction of only offering return flights that originate or terminate in their home country. Under the arrangement, airlines of country A can open both passenger and cargo routes between destinations in countries B and C without the plane touching home base. In commercial parlance, it is equivalent to acquiring the right to open branch stores overseas.

"The opening of a seventh-freedom passenger route by SCAT airlines in the Hainan FTP is not only of special significance to Kazakhstan's civil aviation industry but will also significantly deepen international cooperation among China, Kazakhstan, and European countries," said Darkhan Katyshev, Vice Chairman of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan.

Previously, another Kazakh operator, Air Astana, had already launched and operated two international routes in Hainan, Sanya ⇌ Astana, and Sanya ⇌ Almaty. The average passenger load factor of these two international routes exceeded 90%, facilitating personnel exchanges and economic cooperation.

He Bang, Director of the Civil Aviation Office of the Department of Transportation of Hainan Province, stated that the new route linking Prague and Sanya was a first, both for Hainan and China.

The flight crew poses for a photo in front of the plane operating flight DV482 on the tarmac of Sanya Phoenix International Airport. (Source: hinews.cn)

The launch of this route has generated a positive knock-on effect. Multiple foreign airlines, including those based in the UK, have inquired about Hainan's seventh-freedom aviation policy. Georgian Airways is set to launch Hainan's first seventh-freedom cargo route.

By the end of 2025, Hainan was operating 99 international and regional passenger and cargo routes, covering China's Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and 51 cities in 29 countries. Sanya alone has opened 42 international routes, covering 32 international destinations. In 2024, Sanya's Phoenix International Airport handled 932,900 international passengers, representing a year-on-year increase of 45.1%.

Industry insiders believe that the moves by SCAT and Georgian Airways will encourage other airlines to leverage the Seventh Freedom to launch new routes and deploy additional capacity in Hainan, thereby enhancing its hub capabilities and efficiency in passenger and cargo movement between Hainan and the rest of the world.