China Grants Additional 'Freedom Traffic Rights' To Emirates Airlines

A "Silk Road in the Sky" linking eastern and western Asia is taking shape and is set to shorten the distance between China and the UAE, providing new development opportunities for Arabian countries.

Following recent talks over bilateral air transport, the UAE and China recently announced in Yinchuan, a city in western China, that China will grant third, fourth and fifth freedom traffic rights between Yinchuan Hedong International Airport and destinations in the UAE and will allow Emirates Airlines to operate four Dubai-Yinchuan-Zhengzhou flights every week.

A spokesperson for the department of commerce of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region said: "Granting freedom traffic rights and approving new routes pave the way for operating new routes linking Yinchuan with other Arabian countries and Muslim regions. The Silk Road in the Sky is becoming a reality."

In fact, the opening up of the Silk Road in the Sky dates back to two years ago. On May 11, 2011, Yinchuan-Kunming-Dubai scheduled passenger and cargo flights, the first international flights to and from Ningxia, commenced service. This took place one year after the first Arab States Expo was held in Ningxia. Taking place on the eve of the convening of the 2013 Arab States Expo, China's granting of the fifth freedom traffic rights between Yinchuan Hedong International Airport and the UAE means that Ningxia is on track to become a major transshipment port between China and the Mideast.

The granting also means that after flying from Dubai to Yinchuan and loading and unloading passengers and cargo, aircraft from Emirates Airlines can fly on to other countries.

The meeting, attended by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and Chinese major airlines as well as the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and several UAE-based airlines including Emirates, was highly valued by both China and the UAE.

FMI: www.gcaa.gov.ae/en