European airline companies plan to increase the number of flights
to China despite the slump in the global aviation industry, sources
with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC)
said Monday in Beijing. According to the sources, Lufthansa German
Airlines will launch five non-stop weekly flights with Airbus
A340-300 aircraft between Shanghai and Munich, starting on March
16th.
Meanwhile, Finnair will start three flights from Helsinki to Hong
Kong on February 7 and Austrian Airlines will increase flights from
Beijing to Vienna from March 15.
"The new flights from Shanghai to Munich provide another gateway to
Europe for Chinese travelers. This strategic decision indicates
China's increasing demand and our strong confidence in this
market," said Stefan Lauer, Member of the Executive Board, Chief
Executive Human Resources, Lufthansa German Airlines.
Germany is becoming popular as a destination for Chinese tourists.
Lufthansa expects its new flights will provide Chinese passengers
with more convenient connections to Germany as well as to other
destinations within Europe.
The new flights will open new routes between China and Europe. With
the introduction of the new service, Lufthansa will be the first
European airline to provide 12 weekly nonstop flights from Shanghai
to Germany via Frankfurt and Munich, and onwards to more than 100
major European destinations.
"China's membership of the World Trade Organization will certainly
bring further business opportunities for both local companies and
foreign investors. This will increase demand for both international
air transport and cargo shipments," said Ren Jun, sales manager
with Austrian Airlines.
Statistics from CAAC show that by the end of last year, 57 airline
companies from 45 countries and regions had started flights to
China.
(
February 5, 2002)