Delta Air Lines issued the following statement applauding the agreement reached on May 23 between the U.S. and Chinese governments to further expand opportunities for Delta and other airlines to provide more new services between the United States and China.

"Secretary Peters and the Bush Administration are to be commended for reaching a landmark deal that will allow U.S. airlines to add 13 additional nonstop daily flights to China over the next five years," said Jim Whitehurst, Delta's chief operating officer. "We are already actively pursuing approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to offer customers the first and only nonstop flights between the world's largest passenger gateway in Atlanta and Shanghai. We look forward to the official launch of the 2007 route case and are fully prepared to demonstrate why Atlanta should become the next gateway to China."

"Delta is also eager to seek additional opportunities to improve our customers' access to China under the expanded U.S-China aviation agreement and will actively explore opportunities to introduce new nonstop flights from other gateways in future years," Whitehurst continued.

Delta's pending application with the U.S. DOT for nonstop service between Atlanta and China would fill a critical void in air travel today by linking the 55 million people of the Southeastern United States directly to one of the world's fastest growing economies. Delta - the largest U.S. airline without nonstop access to China - will demonstrate in the accelerated 2007 China route case that Atlanta-Shanghai nonstop service will provide superior consumer and competitive benefits and should be selected by the U.S. DOT.