China airline eyes expansion in India

Kunming (China): After Delhi and Calcutta, China Eastern Airlines is keen on direct flights from more Indian cities.
The airline has a daily flight from New Delhi to Shanghai, its main hub, and has recently launched a four-times-a-week service between Calcutta and Kunming, which is in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan and the airline’s second hub.
Flights from Calcutta comes at a time when China is gearing up to open a consulate office in the city.
Yang Xu, general manager and head of China Eastern Airlines, Kunming branch, said, “We had many choices to start our second direct flight, from Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi. However we chose Calcutta which is the gateway to the East.” He said prospects for the Calcutta flight were very promising.
Earlier, tourism minister Ambika Soni had said there were plans for 50 weekly flights between the two countries. China Eastern initially had three flights from Calcutta, raised to four because of the good response.
11/11/07 Sohini Mookherjea/The Telegraph

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Categories: Foreign Nov 2007