2010-12-03 09:10

MADRID -?Representatives of Air China collected a Plaque for Tourist Merit in Spain Thursday.

The Plaque was awarded to Air China following a Royal Decree from Spain's Council of Ministers and the airline was one of just three organizations that won the award this year, the others being the Spanish travel company, Catai Tours and the famous Madrid Ritz Hotel.

The Plaques are awarded to organizations and individuals who have benefited the Spanish tourism industry and Air China was given the prize for its efforts in opening?and maintaining non-stop direct flights between China and Spain.

The Spanish Minister for Industry, Tourism and Commerce, Miguel Sebastian presented the awards on Thursday night in a glamorous ceremony held at Madrid's Teatro de la Abadia. "I want to congratulate Air China for the efforts to establish and maintain direct flights between Madrid and Beijing," said the Minister. "They are the only company that does that," he added, Sebastian also said that Air China's initiative was important, given that Spain was working to raise the number of Chinese tourists visiting Spain over the next 10 years, with a target of 200,000 in 2012 and up to a million by 2020.

The presentation of the plaque was accompanied by a video, which congratulated Air China for, "closing the distance between China and Spain," saying it was a "brave proposal that is helping to bring the two countries together."

Air China is China 's only national flag carrier. It has a fleet over 280 aircrafts, including 266 passenger planes and runs 264 routes, of which 68 are international, flying to a total of 42 foreign cities, among them the Spanish capital, Madrid, with six direct flights a week, a number that is expected to increase in the future.

The airline has won numerous awards and accolades. In December 2009, Air China was honored one of the Top 500 brands by the World Brand Lab with brand value of 40.6 billion yuan ($6.1 billion). The airline has been ranked among the world's most respected companies for many years and was recently named as one of the "Top 60 Most Influential Brands of the Republic".