(Yicai) March 6 -- Chinese carriers have begun to gradually reopen some flights to the Middle East based on safety assessments after tensions in the region slightly eased, with some countries reopening their airspace.

China Southern Airlines resumed round-trip flights between Guangzhou and Riyadh today, while it will restart those between Shenzhen and Riyadh from March 10. Air China, Hainan Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines have also begun operating some flights from Chinese cities to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

Flights from China to Qatar, which ranks second by number of flights to the Middle East only behind the UAE, have not yet resumed due to Qatar not opening its airspace.

The number of passengers on flights from China to the Middle East is low, with each flight carrying about 30 to 40 people at most, several airlines told Yicai. Travelers are mainly individuals who work and live in the region for extended periods, they pointed out.

In comparison, return flights are nearly fully booked, making tickets for the coming days hard to find, the carriers noted, adding that passengers need to submit ticket requests online and wait in line for a response.

The recovery rate for flights from China to the UAE was only 13.5 percent as of yesterday, while that to Saudi Arabia reached 43 percent, according to civil aviation data platform DAST.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev