World Routes signals growing interconnection

Chengdu, a hub city in Southwest China's Sichuan province, is attracting more world attention as it plays host to an increasing number of international events.

The latest global event held in the city was the 22nd World Route Development Forum, which is also known as World Routes, one of the biggest annual events for the global civil aviation sector.

The four-day event, which concluded on Sept 27, drew 3,500 representatives from airlines, airports, government departments and international organizations, and was the largest in scale in its history.

It ofered a platform for route development professionals to meet, plan and discuss new and existing global air services.

The agenda included keynote speeches, a strategic summit, a world tourism summit, face-to-face meetings, exhibitions and folk performances.

The exhibition area totals more than 40,000 square meters. The exhibition hall specified for Chengdu covered 1,400 sq m, which fully displayed the city's flight networks, aviation economic development, as well as tourism and culture.

The event bore fruitful results. The Chengdu city government, together with Sichuan Province Airport Group, signed agreements with six airlines to open nine nonstop air routes departing from Chengdu during the World Routes.

The six airlines are Air China, Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, Tibet Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. According to the agreements, they will open the direct routes within one year, strengthening Chengdu's connection to Europe, Oceania, North America, Africa and the Middle East.

Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said Chengdu is a perfect destination due to its large population and good geographical location.

"The new route will open a gateway to western China. I hope it will further boost the bilateral development between Asia and Africa in tourism, trade and investment," he said.

Adrian Newton, an executive at UBM EMEA, which organizes the forum, said it was a wise choice to have Chengdu as the host city.

"The number of delegates this year was the largest in World Routes' history, surging some 40 percent year-on-year, which shows Chengdu's appeal to the world," he said.

Newton said Chengdu is playing an important role in China because of its great potential in economic development and the aviation industry, as well as its rich tourism resources.

"Chengdu has more than pandas; it also has the basic conditions to become an international metropolis. I believe the opening of the nine nonstop air routes will further improve its status as an international aviation hub," he said.

Raymond Ng, general manager for Asia at Vancouver Airport Authority, often comes to Chengdu on business, as there is a flight linking Chengdu to Vancouver.

Raymond said he appreciated the good service the host city ofered during the event.

"The hotel is close to the exhibition center, the food is delicious, and the activities are well-organized," he said, adding that people in Chengdu are always nice to visitors.

He said the current flight between Chengdu and Vancouver performs very well, and his airport is negotiating with Sichuan Airlines on turning it into a direct flight.

Sean Zhao, marketing director for China at Travel Texas, came to World Routes to explore the western China market and conduct market research.

"Texas is rich in tourism resources. Although there isn't a flight linking Chengdu to Texas, it is easy to transfer from San Francisco to Texas," he said.

In June 2014, United Airlines launched a thrice-weekly nonstop route between San Francisco and Chengdu. It is the first nonstop route connecting the United States to a city in China's central and western regions.

Zhao also mentioned that he and his counterparts thought the exhibition services were friendly and professional.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/14/2016 page7)