Chengdu-based Sichuan Airlines Co., Ltd. and Chengdu Airlines Co., Ltd. take a stand on the international stage at the 10th Routes Asia held April 15-17 in Chengdu, China.

Li Haiying, president of Sichuan Airlines said on April 15 at the Routes Asia 2012 that Sichuan Airlines will devote itself to constructing Chengdu into an aviation hub in southeast China in the future 3 to 5 years; meanwhile, the airline also plans to open more international routes.

Launch First North American Service

At the conference, Li also disclosed that Sichuan Airlines will open the first North American route flying to Vancouver via Shenyang.

It is learned that the airline's North American service will be operated using Airbus A330 and the whole flight will take 17 to 19 hours. The service is expected to open in the first half of this year and the first flight is temporarily scheduled on June 22.

When asked the reason for a stopover in Shenyang, Li explained that the whole flight is too long for Airbus A330 to make a nonstop flight, so it must stop to get refueled.

Increase the Frequency of Chengdu-Amsterdam Route

Besides, "Sichuan Airlines also plans to launch direct flights to Amsterdam and Melbourne," according to Li, although KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has already launched Chengdu-Amsterdam flight four times per week in peak season and thrice in slack season, it seems that KLM still feels kind of "lonely" faced with the current market demand. "There are not enough flights to carry passengers in peak season, while there are not enough passengers to fill the planes in slack season. The market should be fostered together and we all hope to guarantee a daily flight to Amsterdam." said Li.

Fly Directly to Melbourne

On April 13, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Co., Ltd. and Australia's Melbourne Airport Co., Ltd. officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The two sides will sign a cooperation framework agreement during the 10th Routes Asia. It is learned that the direct Chengdu-Melbourne service is expected to be realized within this year. At present, Chengdu, along with other regions in western China, has not opened direct flights to Australia yet.

It is finally disclosed which airline to operate the Melbourne flight. Li said Sichuan Airlines will make all-out efforts to launch the Chengdu-Melbourne route, but there are still some difficulties. "Chengdu and Australia have opposite seasons as Australia is within the south hemisphere. Besides, the product is still under design given that students and tourists travelling from/to Australia all have their travel circles."