Beijing is welcoming back direct inbound passenger flights from overseas for the first time in more than two years as China eases parts of what is still the toughest pandemic border regime in the world.

Air China Ltd.’s website shows it restarted a direct flight from Paris once a week, while ANA will resume weekly flights from Narita in August. Meanwhile, Etihad Airways PJSC resumed direct flights to the capital in late June after China halved the length of time incoming travelers must spend in a quarantine facility to seven days, state broadcaster China National Radio reported earlier this month.

China’s Civil Aviation Administration banned direct flights into Beijing from overseas in early 2020, making travel difficult. Anyone heading to the capital was required to first land at one of a list of pre-approved cities, where they would need to quarantine, before traveling onward.

On July 26, VariFlight data showed 94 international flights going to and from China, down from the 2,883 on the same day in 2019.