A new air route has opened over China that will reduce flying times between Europe and cities in the east and south of the country.
IATA says the new route, designated B208, was implemented on 10 April and around 475 flights are expected to use it per week.
The association says flights from Europe to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong will no longer have to be channelled through Beijing, saving 60nm (111km) per flight. In addition to reducing flight times, IATA says it will help reduce congestion during the Olympic Games in Beijing in August and as a result it has dubbed it the "Olympic Bypass" route.
"The experience of previous Olympic host cities tells us that there will be significantly more air traffic in China's skies during the Olympics," says IATA director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani.
"The Olympic Bypass is the result of numerous discussions we have had with the Chinese authorities since 2006. By shortening the route by 60nm, we will save about 83,000t of CO2 annually."
Bisignani adds: "While being introduced to deal with Olympic-related congestion, this is the latest in a series of major permanent improvements to China's air traffic management infrastructure."
China introduced a new route in 2006, dubbed Y-1, that cuts flight times between Europe and China by 30min per roundtrip. Also last year, China introduced reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) procedures that helped to increase airspace capacity.
"We need more governments around the world to commit to shorten routes and build more efficient infrastructure," says Bisignani.
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© IATA |
Source: Flight International
