IATA welcomes shorter route over China The International Air Transport
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IATA welcomes shorter route over China The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the implementation of a new air route over China that will reduce air traffic congestion during the Beijing Olympics. The new route, designated B208, was implemented April 10. “We call this route the Olympic Bypass. It will alleviate air traffic delays and congestion as flights from Europe to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong no longer need to be channeled through Beijing. This is especially critical with the Olympics in August. The experience of previous Olympics host cities tells us that there will be significantly more air traffic in China’s skies during the games,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO.
“The Olympics Bypass is the result of multiple discussions we have had with the Chinese authorities since 2006. By shortening the route by 60 nautical miles, we will save about 83 thousand tonnes of CO2 annually. This is a win-win for all – the Chinese government, travelers, airlines and most importantly, the environment,” said Bisignani.
“The Olympic Bypass demonstrates the Chinese government’s continued commitment to improve efficiency in air traffic management in China’s airspace. While being introduced to deal with the Olympic Games-related congestion, this is the latest in a series of major permanent improvements to China’s air traffic management infrastructure. In 2006, China approved IATA-1, and last year China introduced Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM). We need more governments around the world to be committed to shorten routes and build more efficient infrastructure,” said Bisignani.
Cathy Pacific and Dragonair report increase in passengers In March, a total of 2,164,663 passengers were carried by Cathay Pacific and Dragonair airlines, representing an increase of 16 percent over the same month in 2007. For the year to date, passenger numbers have grown by 15.9 percent compared to capacity growth of 13.1 percent.
Cathay Pacific general manager revenue management, sales & distribution Ian Shiu said,“We are very pleased with our passenger performance last month, which was boosted by strong demand over the earlier-than-usual Easter holidays. We have added a lot of capacity on key long-haul routes in recent months but so far passenger growth has managed to keep pace. Overall, the situation looks promising through to the start of the summer peak.”
Cathay Pacific director and general manager Cargo Ron Mathison added,“There was no significant peak before Easter, but demand out of Hong Kong and Mainland China remained strong.Yields remain under pressure,and high fuel prices are having a big impact on the bottom line of our freight business.However,we are benefiting from strong demand into and out of India,while our new twice-weekly freighter service to Hanoi and Dhaka has been well received by the market.”
Passenger Traffic Up 6.7% at Changi Airport Changi Airport has registered good growth in passenger traffic in the first three months of 2008. The first quarter saw some 9.32 million passenger movements, up 6.7 percent compared to the same period in 2007. In March 2008, more than 3.26 million travelers went through Changi, the highest monthly traffic registered so far this year.
By April 1, Changi Airport is served by 80 airlines operating more than 4,340 weekly scheduled flights to 188 cities in 59 countries. Singapore welcomes travelers from Europe Singapore welcomed record growth in the number of visitors from Europe. In 2007, close to 1.3 million European visitors traveled to Singapore,representing a growth of 4.6 percent over 2006.
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