In evaluating and selecting MICE destinations, accessibility is still a key consideration for organizers and planners. Most of the Eastern European cities are still not well served by direct flights from Asian cities, and the journey can take between 17 to 23 hours by flight with 1 to 2 stopovers.
Currently, KLM / Air France provides one of the better connections from Asia with one stop in Amsterdam or Paris. It is also more flexible allowing passengers to arrive and depart from different cities, so that groups visiting multiple cities can, for example, arrive in Krakow and then depart from Zagreb.
Talks are underway to improve and air links with Asia, and in May 2012, Qatar Air introduced new flights from Singapore to Zagreb with one stop in Doha. Towards the end of May, Polish airline LOT resumed flights between Beijing and Warsaw. These moves reflect greater business and leisure travel between Eastern Europe and Asia and bode well for the MICE industry in Eastern Europe.