flight (scheduled)
HSK level
航班 is written with 20 strokes (航: 10, 班: 10). The animation replays automatically.
航班 (hángbān) is a noun meaning a scheduled flight — a specific numbered air service running on a timetable, and by extension a scheduled sailing.
It is the word on departure boards and tickets: 航班延误 'flight delayed,' 航班取消 'flight cancelled,' 国际航班 'international flight.' English speakers should note that 航班 refers to the scheduled service or route slot itself, not the physical aircraft — that is 飞机 (fēijī, airplane). So you board a 飞机 to take a particular 航班. It also differs from the act of flying (飞行 fēixíng).
航班号 is the flight number. Register is neutral and standard in travel contexts. Compare 飞机 (the plane as a physical object) and 班机 (bānjī), a close synonym for a scheduled flight that is slightly more dated.
Character by character
Memory hook: 航 (aviation) + 班 (scheduled run) — a scheduled aviation run, i.e. a flight.
我们的航班延误了两个小时。
Wǒmen de hángbān yánwù le liǎng ge xiǎoshí.
Our flight was delayed by two hours.
spoken
请问去北京的航班几点起飞？
Qǐngwèn qù Beijing de hángbān jǐ diǎn qǐfēi?
Excuse me, what time does the flight to Beijing depart?
polite
因为大雪，很多航班被取消了。
Yīnwèi dàxuě, hěn duō hángbān bèi qǔxiāo le.
Because of heavy snow, many flights were cancelled.
neutral
旅客请核对航班号后再登机。
Lǚkè qǐng héduì hángbān hào hòu zài dēngjī.
Passengers, please check your flight number before boarding.
formal
班机 also means a scheduled flight but sounds slightly older/more formal and can lean toward the plane running the schedule. 航班 is the standard modern word you'll see on boards and apps.
Acquire it by listening
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