The last five years have been transformative and tumultuous for Mainland Chinese international flights. COVID-19, the rise of domestic Chinese tourism, the rise in Sino-Indian tensions, the rise in Great Power Competition with the US, and the closure of Russian air space to Western airlines amid the war in Ukraine have had a massive impact on Chinese flights. But how have China’s flights to the major hubs of the Middle East fared over that time? Note that this article does not consider Turkey nor its major hub, Istanbul.