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Air France to bring more flights to China
By Wang Yu (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-19 11:31
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Air France KLM, Europe's leading carrier, plans to introduce more flights to China over the next five years through strengthened co-operation with Chinese partners and innovation, its chief said.
The Europe-based global airline has targeted business growth of as much as 15 per cent a year in China over the next five years, said Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chairman and CEO of Air France KLM.
"We plan to expand our capacity to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong to two times a day, and to Guangzhou a daily flight in four to five years," Spinetta said. That would see Air France alone operating 49 weekly flights to China.
To achieve the bold target Air France KLM will strengthen co-operation with local partners China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. It will also continue its tailor-made products and services, such as a Chinese menu and Chinese attendants, to meet the needs of Chinese customers, he said.
A new code-share arrangement with China Eastern will enable Air France KLM to extend its network coverage to more inland Chinese cities such as Wuhan and Wenzhou over the next few months.
Spinetta said that aside from code-sharing, further co-operation with China Eastern was on the cards.