BEIJING, Sept. 27 -- Several United States carriers have won permission by
the U.S. Department of Transportation to start new flights to China after the
two countries signed an agreement to open up the skies, the companies said
yesterday.
Continental Airlines will fly between Newark, New Jersey, and Shanghai
starting in March 2009. AMR Corp's American Airlines will fly between Chicago
and Beijing, while Northwest will begin a service between Detroit and Shanghai
at the same time.
"We're obviously delighted with DOT's decision today," said Will Ris,
American Airlines' senior vice president of government affairs.
"We said in our application that America's Chicago gateway will provide
increased network competition and customer choice in the growing China market."
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines Inc and U.S. Airways Group Inc - the only major
U.S. carriers that operate globally without flights to China - were also awarded
flights to China by the transportation department.
Delta plans a daily flight starting on March 30, 2009 between Atlanta and
Shanghai. U.S. Airways' daily service will begin on March 25, 2009, and will be
between Philadelphia and Beijing.
A bilateral aviation agreement reached by the two countries in May granted
U.S. carriers more access to China, an aviation market expanding by 15 percent
in recent years.
Under the pact, U.S. carriers will more than double their round-trip
flights to 23 by 2012.
The rapidly growing Chinese aviation market has lured overseas carriers to
bid for a stake in domestic counterparts.
Singapore Airlines Ltd and parent Temasek Holdings Pte have signed to pay
about 918 million U.S. dollars for a combined 24 percent stake in China Eastern
Airlines Corp, the companies announced early this month. The deal still needs
approval by the company board.
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Hong Kong's biggest carrier, paid 4.07 billion
HK dollars(524 million U.S. dollars) in June last year to double its stake in
Air China to 20 percent for more access to the Chinese
market.
(Source: Shanghai Daily)
