American airliner US Airways was awarded a license to inaugurate
its first US-China air service last week, becoming the sixth US
carrier to be granted the permit.
The US Department of Transportation announced last Friday that
it had granted the Arizona-headquartered US Airways a permit for
US-China passenger flights.
Six American airlines already operate China-bound air services -
the other five are American, Continental, Northwest, United and
Delta Airlines.
The US Department of Transportation time also awarded additional
US-China passenger flights to three other US carriers serving the
China routes: American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Northwest
Airlines.
US Airways will fly between Philadelphia and Beijing, while
American, Continental and Northwest each will use their new rights
to add a daily flight to their existing US-China services.
American Airlines will begin a Chicago-Beijing service, while
Continental will operate a new flight between Newark/New York and
Shanghai, and Northwest will fly between Detroit and Shanghai.
All services must begin on or around March 25, 2009, according
to the agreement.
Under an earlier agreement, signed between General
Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) and US Department
of Transportation last July, the number of daily flights between
United States and China will double over the next five years.
US airlines, which are eager to tap the fast-growing Chinese
aviation market, will have more than doubled the number of
passenger flights to China to 23 a day by 2012.
China is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world after
passenger traffic hit 160 million in 2006, up 15 percent on the
previous year.
CAAC estimates that passenger volumes will maintain double-digit
growth up to 2010.
(China Daily January 3, 2008)