Air China plans more Japan routes
Carrier plans to fly to Nagoya and launch flights to country from second-tier cities on mainland
Air China plans to open more routes to Japan this year in the wake of an open skies agreement reached by the Chinese and Japanese governments.
The accord was signed by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Administration of China earlier this month.
Although further talks for unlimited traffic in and out of Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo - which account for 85 per cent of China-Japan traffic - are continuing, incremental increases in the air traffic rights between the two countries are in place.
Japan is the most profitable international route for the national flag carrier. Jia Tiesheng, vice-chairman of Air China's commercial committee, said yesterday the airline would launch a new service to Nagoya and add more flights to Osaka this year.
Air China will also offer extra flights to Japan from second-tier cities such as Hangzhou, Dalian and other cities in the country's northeast.
Jia said that after years of losses Air China's service to the US had started to turn around following the use of Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft to replace the B747-400 aircraft used on its Los Angeles route. The smaller aircraft enabled the airline to operate two daily flights instead of one to Los Angeles.
