Hubei Lisen, a private investment company in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, will set the debut of its airline company in Vanuatu, in the southwest Pacific Ocean, within 18 months, said reliable sources with the province's civil aviation administration.

The Southern Pacific International Airline Company, registered by Hubei Lisen in Vanuatu in July of 2003, will be the first airline run by a Chinese private company in a foreign country, the sources confirmed.

According to the plan, the airline company will first launch two domestic air routes inside Vanuatu and will launch international air routes linking the island country with Australia and New Zealand next year after its official operation.

The airline company also aims to operate international air routes linking Vanuatu with China, according to its long-term plan.

Insiders estimated that the Southern Pacific International Airline Company would help increase Vanuatu's transportation capacity by air and promote the development of tourism industry in the country.

Consisting of over 80 islands and islets, Vanuatu boasts rich natural and tourism resources, but it is backward economically.

Currently, the country only has one Boeing airplane flying on international air routes and its domestic air service is solely operated by a foreign company.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2004)