Xiamen, Sydney push for direct air route
Xiamen city is expected to launch a second intercontinental air route in 2015, this time to Sydney in Australia, according to insiders.
In a meeting with Sydney Airport's CEO Kerrie Mathe on Jan 21, Liu Keqing, Xiamen’s Mayor said the city will fully support the opening of a Xiamen-Sydney route, given that China and Australia have signed free trade agreements which will increase cargo transportation and personnel exchanges.
Mathe express her expectation and confidence in the opening of the route, too.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines launched Xiamen’s first intercontinental air route in 2011, connecting it with Amsterdam.
The Xiamen-Sydney route will be operated by Xiamen Airlines, a source from the company said.
The airline company reached out to Sydney Airport as early as last September. The negotiation on the matter has made more progress than expected, and the route will likely become a reality sometime this year, according to Zhao Dong, vice manager of Xiamen Airlines.
Currently, passengers from Fujian bound for Sydney have to transfer in other cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai or Hong Kong.
The direct air route is expected to cut the travel time by 5 hours, said Zhao.
Why Xiamen
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Xiamen is one of the most economically competitive cities in China and was one of the first Special Economic Zones on the Chinese mainland. As a vice-provincial city independently listed on the State development plan, it has provincial-level authority in economic administration and local legislative power. In 2010, the Xiamen SEZ was expanded to cover the entire municipality. Today, Xiamen is a modern and international port city.