Finnair (OMXH: FIA1S) will open a route to Chongqing in May 2012. Chongqing is massive city of over 30 million when taking into account areas under control. The city airport has not been particularly busy in comparison to the size of the city and area potential.
Finnair has been promising a route to Western China for several years already. Previously the company was talking a route to Chengdu, but clearly the company felt Chongqing authorities were more receptive. The plan at least shows that Asian growth strategy of the company still includes China as well, after the flights to Guangzhou were stopped a couple of years ago. Chongqing has a big auto industry and is expanding in electronics as well. It is possible to export goods via the Yangtze river, even relatively large cargo, so growth potential still remains.
Travelling into Sichuan (Chengdu), Yunnan (Kunming), Shaanxi (Xian) and Tibet(Lhasa) should also be an option from Europe via this route. The entire area boasts 300 million plus people. Thus far the easiest option from Nordic countries to Western China has been to transfer from Amsterdam to Chengdu with a KLM flight. Transfers from Central Europe have been more competitively priced to Eastern China as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment