Air China honours agents
After becoming the No.2 airline operating on ex-mumbai- China route, the airline is considering to connect more Chinese cities from India
Claiming
to be the largest and most profitable airline of China, Air China recently celebrated its maiden year of operations from Mumbai (the first flight was operated on May 3, 2012). Currently, the airline is oper- ating a total of 11 weekly flights from India (Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru) to 185 destinations worldwide including all domestic destinations in China. In just one year, the airline has acquired No.2 position from No.4 in the category of airlines operating on ex-Mumbai to China route which clearly indicates the growth and progress of the airline in India, informs
Tang Zhongling, General Manager, Air China. He adds, “In an earnest quest to achieve the No.1 position, the airline strives to adapt to customer demands in India.”
In 2012-13, Air China recorded an average load factor of 85 per cent and the frequency of flights was increased from three times a week to four times a week on ex-Mumbai to accommodate the increased passenger load. According to Zhongling, 65 per cent of the travel to China is business while 35 per cent is leisure and VFR traffic. “The passenger load has been growing, encouraging us to increase our flights from India to other cities in China,” adds Zhongling.
Delhi- based STIC Travels has been appointed as the GSA for the airline to manage sales in West and South India. Commenting on the first anniversary of the airline for Mumbai operations, Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC Travel Group said, “We have been promoting Air China as their representatives for more than two decades and are proud to be a part of their growth in India. Trade and tourism between India and China has been growing at a rapid pace, with trade increasing from USD 2.92 billion in 2000 to USD 66.57 billion in 2012. We look forward to developing this route and working towards increasing Air China's footprint to multiple cities across India.”