China wants direct Mainland link

THE LAUNCH of a direct air link between South Africa and the Chinese mainland - with Beijing or Shanghai the proposed destination - is under consideration. A Chinese delegation, led by the vice minister of the general administration of civil aviation, Yang Guoqing, visited South Africa last month to discuss the possibility. Currently South African Airways flies directly to Hong Kong, but the Chinese delegation, comprising government officials and aviation leaders, said they were targeting South Africa’s growing trade with their country, and wanted one of the leading mainland cities to be the preferred destination. Guoqing said he was keen to establish this service as soon as possible. At the same time he commended SAA for deploying the new Airbus A340-600 on the Johannesburg-Hong Kong route which, he said, would encourage more business traffic. South Africa was recently granted ADS (Approved Destination Status) by the Chinese government. The minister said that the Chinese aviation industry had grown at a phenomenal rate in recent years, with service and safety levels having improved at the same time.