Air France will become the first European carrier to introduce flights to the Chinese city of Wuhan in April 2012 when it inaugurates a new three times weekly service to the city from its Paris CDG hub. The airline will use a Boeing 777-200ER on the route with seating for up to 309 passengers; 35 in Business, 24 in Premium Voyageur and 250 in the Voyageur/Economy cabin.
The French national carrier has been serving China for 45 years, inaugurating flights on the Paris – Shanghai route on September 20, 1966 when it became the first Western airline to fly to the People's Republic of China. This winter Air France and its Dutch partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are operating 80 flights per week to eight destinations in Greater China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xiamen and Taipei) from either Amsterdam Schiphol or Paris CDG.
In the past year an estimated 7.3 million O&D passengers flew between Europe and China, up 18.1 per cent on the previous 12 month period. Air France currently has a 7.7 per cent share of this total O&D traffic, positioning it as the fourth largest operator in this market. However, when you also include the KLM traffic this share rises to 15.1 per cent and the second position behind Air China, which holds an 18.5 per cent share of the traffic.
Situated at the crossroads of central China and at equal distance from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Wuhan is a transportation hub for air, railway as well as ferry traffic. The capital of the Hubei province, with a population of 9 million inhabitants, Wuhan is an energetic city, a commercial centre of finance, industry (especially automotive), trade and science, with many international companies located there. It is home to a number of scientific, technological and educational institutions such as Laser City and the Wuhan University, and the city is also an intellectual centre.
There is an existing demand of around 39,000 O&D passengers between Europe and Wuhan, and Air France will hope to stimulate this market further with direct services. The strongest demand is from France, with an estimated 11,000 O&D passengers travelling between Paris CDG and Wuhan last year. Air France holds a less than one per cent share of this traffic with the majority of passengers flying with China Eastern via Shanghai, Air China via Beijing, Cathay Pacific Airways via Hong Kong or China Southern Airlines via Guangzhou.
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