Hainan Airlines to open direct air route from Beijing to Bishkek

Hainan airlines will open a new direct air route from Beijing to Bishkek on Nov. 15th. Promoting mutual communication and cooperation in the field of politics, economy and culture, this first ever-in-history direct air route between the capitals of China and Kyrgyzstan will erect a new silk road in air.

In the end of the year, it’s remarkable that Hainan airlines will open this “non-popular” air route. While other airline companies are trying to enter the European or American markets, Hainan airlines chooses Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as its new destination because of the steady growth of demands there and frequent economical communications, which represents an international leading strategy of development and its ambition in Central Asia airline market.

One corporate officer said, that at present Hainan airlines is the only airline company, which has a direct stretch from Beijing to Bishkek. The company will use Boeing 767-300ER to execute the flight missions, which features 32 business seats and economical seats, providing every passenger with comfortable travel service.

The officer emphasized that the opening of this air route will also provide passengers who travel in Central Asia with more convenient and economical transit route, which will save they stay in Urumchi or Tashkent. And by means of the capacity of Beijing Capital Airport, this airway can bring passengers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other central Asian countries to every part of the world, which will also enhance the diffusive capacity of the airline itself.

It was said that during the early stage, the airline will be arranged once a week, which means the plane will take off from Beijing on Saturday. The flight schedule is as follows: the plane will take off on 17:50, and arrive in Bishkek on 21:40 this day; on the return trip the plane will take off from Bishkek on 23:20, and arrive in Beijing on 6:30 next morning .

Kyrgyzstan is a central Asian inland country with the population of 5.17 million people, and covers 198.5 thousand square meters. The country borders on Kazakhstan to the North, Uzbekistan to the West, Tadzhikistan to the South, and is neighbored with Xinjiang, China to the South-east. Bishkek, the capital of the country, is located in Valley Chuhe, with the population of 900 thousand people. In recent years, it becomes a famous city in central Asia and an important trade center.

As Liu Chuanwu, the Chinese economical and business counselor to Kyrgyzstan, puts, in these years, economical and financial communications between China and Kyrgyzstan develop rapidly and successfully. From 2002 to 2007, the volume of trade keeps increasing by 70% annually, and Kyrgyzstan has become the second biggest trading partner of China in central Asian, while China is the fifth biggest trading partner of Kyrgyzstan. Now economical and financial cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan is transforming from the stage of primary trading to that of strategic partnership in some key fields.

By People's Daily Online