The landmark partnership continues a recent relaxation of rights between the two countries and is expected to lead to an immediate growth in flights between the two countries, including many new routes from China’s emerging second and third tier cities into Australia.
Tianjin currently has limited connectivity outside of Asia from Binhai International Airport, but is increasingly being seen as an alternative access point into China’s capital city, Beijing, which is just 120km away and a journey of just 35 minutes by high-speed train.
The expanded network, which includes six Chinese cities that have never been served directly by a Malaysian airline, is just the first stage of an ambitious plan to more than triple Malaysia Airlines’ China business, adding more than ten additional cities to its network by the early 2020s.
China is Australia’s most valuable market, with Chinese visitors spending more than $7.7 billion annually. Spend has increased by more than 400 percent in the past 10 years, from $1.5 billion in 2005 to $7.7 billion in 2015. Year-on-year spending grew 43 per cent in 2015 – double the previous 12 month’s growth rate.
Under the new Air Service Agreement passenger flights can now increase from the current maximum of 40 per week for each nation to up to 100. There will be no limit on the number of all-cargo services, creating new opportunities for trade and businesses. A restriction on the number of destinations that airlines can serve has also been lifted, meaning services can be operated between any point in the UK and any point in China. Up until now, airlines could only serve six destinations in each country.
New Routes in China are developing at an unprecedented pace both nationally and internationally and data shows that from 2015 to 2016, 114 new national routes launched in China, while in 2015, 19 new international routes were also created.
With China representing the single largest growth market in the world for the next decade, how can aviation best cater for the rising numbers of tourists.
Boeing predicts China will need 5,110 new single-aisle aircraft through 2035, accounting for 75 percent of the total new deliveries. Low-cost carriers and full-service airlines have been adding jets and expanding new point-to-point services to cater for both leisure and business travel demand from a rising middle class in China and throughout Asia.
The Chinese boom town of Chengdu is preparing to welcome the international aviation industry this weekend for the 22nd annual World Routes forum (24-27 September).
As we approach this year's World Routes forum, we take a closer look at the main O&D markets from Chengdu, including a number of international destinations not currently served directly from the fast-growing city.
One of the rising stars of the Chinese economy, the emerging city of Chengdu, will move closer towards its ambition of becoming the main transport hub for western China when it hosts the World Routes aviation forum next month (24-27 September).
The World Routes Strategy Summit (sponsored by Oman Airports Management Company) will shine a spotlight on the challenges facing the aviation industry in turbulent times.
It was believed that Air China, one of the ‘Big Three’ in the country, was considering taking a considerable minority stake in LOT Polish Airlines. The Eastern European carrier has now denied this, claiming that any link with the Chinese carrier would be “simply commercial cooperation.”
As World Routes returns to mainland China, Routesonline is providing a snapshot on the leading international airlines and international airports and most used aircraft types on international flights from the country and highlights the country's top performers during the first half of 2016.
Within ten years China’s domestic air traffic will become the world’s largest, manufacturers Airbus and Boeing once again reinforced in the latest editions of their Global Market Forecast and Current Market Outlook released at the Farnborough International Airshow this week.
Tianjin Airlines will become the latest of the country’s airlines to launch long-haul flights when it takes delivery of at least three Airbus A330-200s from the European manufacturer in the coming months. These aircraft will be used to debut flights into Europe and North America and alongside London will see the introduction of flights to Moscow, Russia and Vancouver, Canada.
There has been a steady increase year-on-year in the number of Hong Kong and China travellers visiting New Zealand. According to official figures from Statistics New Zealand, as of March 2016, the total number of visitors from Hong Kong and China were up 19.1 percent and 27.8 percent, respectively.
Latest figures from VisitBritain state that tourist numbers to the UK from China were up 37 percent in the first nine months of 2015 as more than 200,000 Chinese holidaymakers visited the UK in the nine month period. VisitBritain is hoping to double spending from Chinese visitors to £1 billion by 2020, - they were already among the highest spenders ringing up £2,688 a head and already account for almost a quarter of tourist spending in the UK.
The Chinese city will become Iberia’s first Asian destination ahead of its previously announced launch of flights to Tokyo from October 18, 2016. This year the Spanish airline is also resuming services to Puerto Rico (from May 15, 2016) and to Johannesburg (from August 1, 2016), while its seasonal flights to Boston, previously offered from March to October, will operate through December this year.
Xiamen Airlines is significantly expanding its international presence following the arrival of its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. Over a three year period (2015 -2017) it plans to introduce seven new long-haul markets to its network. This has commenced with flights starting to Amsterdam and Sydney last year. Alongside Vancouver the airline plans flights to Melbourne and Seattle in 2016 and it has recently applied for rights to serve Los Angeles and New York from 2017.
The 2016 summer season will mean more scheduled flights between China (including Hong Kong) and Europe than ever before, with 75 city pairs connected. ASM’s Nigel Mayes, senior vice-president consulting & product development, and Kate Meng, business development manager – Beijing, report.
This will be Delta’s fifth daily nonstop flight to the Asia-Pacific region and will add to existing links to Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo; the latter being served by flights to both Haneda and Narita airports. The Shanghai service was only added in July 2015, and Delta will be the only carrier to offer service to both of China’s biggest cities from Los Angeles.
