More destinations in PRC's top players' nets

[Alain Durand]

Air China plans ambitious expansion to Europe, US
Wednesday September 12, 2007
Air China announced an expansion of its international network comprising 12 new routes to Europe and the US in 2008 and 2009, as well as more frequencies on nine additional routes to the West.

According to the long-haul routes distribution program released yesterday by CAAC, Air China will begin serving Berlin, Istanbul and Warsaw from Beijing in 2008. The following year it will begin flying daily from the capital to Toronto, Washington Dulles, Manchester, Zurich, Dusseldorf, Vienna and Milan and from Shanghai to San Francisco and Rome.

CA has said it is committed to working with partner Cathay Pacific Airways and other Star Alliance members to boost its position in the US and Europe, as "in recent years, we have begun to make a turnaround on long-haul routes to Western countries," according to CEO Cai Jianjiang.

In addition, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines are scheduled to open new routes to the US under the CAAC program despite the fact that Chinese carriers collectively suffer heavy losses in transpacific operations (ATWOnline, May 30). Industry analysts have pointed out that conditions may improve if the US and China sign a tourism agreement this year that will ease US visa restrictions on Chinese citizens.

Next year, CZ will open daily Beijing-Newark and Guangzhou-Moscow flights, while CEA will start twice-weekly Shanghai-Los Angeles service. Hainan will fly four-times-weekly from Beijing to Berlin and Seattle and Shanghai Airlines will fly from its namesake city to Vienna (five-times-weekly), Hamburg and Zurich (both thrice-weekly).

In 2009, CZ will fly from Beijing to Detroit and London and from Guangzhou to Vancouver (all daily). Hainan will open daily service from Beijing to Chicago and Newark and Shanghai Airlines will fly to Seattle and Los Angeles.


by Katie Cantle

http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=10192