Transport base launches intercontinental links
Chengdu has demonstrated its strength as an international aviation hub to the world, as it now has the most overseas routes in China’s central and western regions.
On Aug 7, a direct flight from Chengdu to New York entered into the ticket sales system, with the first flight due to take off at the end of October, according to local officials.
This will be the first direct flight linking Chengdu and the east coast of the United States, and will be the third flight between Chengdu and the US. It will be carried out by a Boeing 787 twice a week by Hainan Airlines.
The flight will only take 16 hours from Chengdu to New York and 14 hours on the return route, saving tourists hours of transit flights through other traffic hubs, according to officials.
The flight was first put forward during the 22nd World Route Development Conference in Chengdu last September, when the city government and Chengdu Province Airport Group signed nine cooperative agreements covering international routes with domestic and foreign aviation enterprises.
Seven of the routes are already in service and the Chengdu to Sochi, Russia, flight is due to launch in September.
To date, Chengdu has opened more than 100 international flights, including direct flights to Los Angles in the US, Auckland in New Zealand and Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
In July, the Chengdu government released its 50 New Industrial Polices, calling for accelerating the construction of transportation infrastructure and international logistics channels, and extending international routes.
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, with a total investment of 71.86 billion yuan ($10.4 billion) is under construction now.
The project is expected to be completed in 2019 and come into service in 2020.
It will become an international aviation hub along the Silk Road Economic Belt, aiming to accommodate 90 million tourists and 2 million metric tons of cargo annually.
The Chengdu-Europe Express Railway, a strategic direct freight train connecting western China and Europe, is continually expanding its links, according to officials.
The railway links Chengdu with Lodz, an emerging European logistics transit hub in Poland.
It is one of the most frequently used direct freight links between China and Europe, according to the Chengdu Port and Logistic Office.
The route has expanded to Kutno in Poland, Nuremberg and Duisburg in Germany and Tilburg in the Netherlands.
By the end of this year, the Chengdu-Europe Express Railway will launch a northern route to connect Russia and a southern route to Istanbul in Turkey.