As a large-scale hub network carrier, Air China has already built the relatively diamond-shaped network of Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenzhen. A powerful hub such as this can provide substantial support to the construction and establishment of the global “One Belt, One Road” network. In the future, the Company will strengthen the construction of the Shanghai and Shenzhen networks. At the same time, we will actively seize the rapidly emerging opportunities in the central-west market and further improve our route networks to provide better services to the national “One Belt, One Road” development strategy.
As an airlines with the most extensive and most balanced international route network in China, we actively coordinated our development to fit with the national “One Belt, One Road” strategy. We built on our original route network by focusing on promoting “One Belt, One Road” direct flights from China to South Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, through new routes that once ran along the old silk road. Last year Air China further increased their international routes along the “One Belt, One Road” region, by launching routes from Chengdu-Colombo, Beijing-Minsk-Budapest, Lanzhou-Beijing-Kuala Lumpur, Beijing-Colombo, Beijing-Johannesburg, and Beijing-Addis Ababa. With these additional routes, we became the first airlines in China to fly to six continents around the world.
On future opportunities the “One Belt, One Road” strategy can bring to the industry:
The construction and implementation of the “One Belt, One Road” strategy will promote economic cooperation and cultural exchange between China countries along the route, and this will effectively promote demand in the aviation market. In the future, Air China will participate more actively against international competition and serve national strategies. To assist the national “One Belt, One Road” strategy we will integrate local operating environments, market demand and company capabilities to reliably advance our globalization strategy and avoid operating risks.
