Author Archives: Abdul Latheef

Niagara Falls hosts Rendez-vous Canada

26 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by in Alberta, Business, News, Ontario, Rendez-vous Canada, Tourism, Travel, Travel Market

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TravelNiagara Falls. There couldn’t be a better Canadian city to host the country’s premier travel market, Rendez-vous Canada 2015.

The four-day annual event, which opens Tuesday, has attracted hundreds of travel buyers from around the world.

Showcasing Canadian tourism products and services to them will be promoters from every part of the country.

This year’s event includes presentations from Banff Lake Louise Tourism, Edmonton Tourism and Aboriginal Tourism.

But the city that needs no introduction will benefit most.Travel5

Niagara Falls, which attracts 12 million visitors on average every year, is expected to get a big bounce from the market.

“Rendez-vous Canada provides an unparalleled opportunity to showcase this iconic destination to the world’s leading influencers of travel purchasing behaviour!” said   Catherine McNabb, executive director of Niagara Falls Tourism.

“The impact of this level of exposure, among key decision makers, will be felt for many years to come in the entire Niagara region,” she added in an email to exitStamp.

Travel6No wonder, the city is laying out a lavish welcome to the delegates.

The organizers say there will be a full evening event beginning at 6:30 p.m. and culminating with a “surprise experience” at 10:30 p.m.

Official estimates show more than 600,000 Canadian jobs depend on tourism.

Fortunately, the industry is steadily growing.

The Canadian Tourism Commission reported this week that in the first quarter of 2015, more than 2.3 million international travellers came to the country.

That is up 7 per cent over 2014.

Rendez-vous Canada 2016 will be held in Montreal.

New Emirates A380: Sorry, no First Class

12 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by in A380, Airbus, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Aviation, Business, Copenhagen, Dubai, Emirates, News, Tourism, Transport, Travel

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All of the 13 airlines currently flying the Airbus A380 use aircraft with a three-class configuration, featuring First-, Business- and Economy-class cabins.

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The world’s largest operator of the superjumbo is planning to change that with the introduction of a two-class A380 later this year.

Emirates is launching a daily service from Dubai to Copenhagen in December, using what it says is the world’s first two-class configured A380, which can carry up to 615 passengers.

But the down side is the new A380 will not have a First-Class cabin. Instead, it will have 58 seats in the Business Class and 557 in the Economy Class.

Emirates began flying to the Danish capital about four years ago, using an Airbus A330. A few months later, the airline switched to the bigger Boeing 777.

Tim Clark and Thomas Woldbye announce the A380 service.

Tim Clark and Thomas Woldbye announce the A380 service.

“Today, based on strong load factors, we are happy to further up-gauge the route to our iconic double-decker, the A380,” said president Tim Clark.

As of December, the airline will offer more than 8,600 seats a week between Copenhagen and Dubai.

Emirates also noted that the aircraft would be more environmentally efficient than others, producing the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre of all commercial airplanes.

“Emirates is making history with this aircraft, its fuel efficiency is better than most modern small passenger cars in terms of fuel economy per passenger kilometre, allowing us to reduce emissions without compromising on comfort,” said Clark.

CPH2Meanwhile, the airport says it is investing heavily to make its infrastructure A380-compatible.

Copenhagen will be the first in Scandinavia to offer a scheduled A380 service.

“The increased capacity will hopefully stimulate more trade and tourism between Denmark and countries of the Middle East, Asia and Africa,” said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports.

Emirates has 59 A380s in its fleet, operating from Dubai to more than 30 destinations worldwide. The airline has ordered a total of 140 superjumbos.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and Copenhagen Airport.

The largest habitable work of art

23 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by in Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arts, Austria, Automotive, Business, Cities, Culture, Environment, General Motors, Graz, Hotels, Life, Luxury Hotels, Luxury Travel, New Zealand, News, Opel, People, Rogner-Bad Blumau, Spa Hotels, Tourism, Transport, Travel, Travel Blog

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Dome“The water feels like silk on your skin.”

That is how Rogner-Bad Blumau describes the thermal water at the Austrian hotel’s spa.

The supply is from the nearby Vulkania springs and is said to be the most mineral-rich curative water in the spa town of Bad Blumau.

And the healing water is just one of many features that make this hotel out of the ordinary.

Billed as the world’s largest habitable work of art, Rogner-Bad Blumau was designed by eccentric Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, whose last name literally means “100 waters.”

“Your name is Hundertwasser, I have water of hundred degrees,” businessman Robert Rogner told the artist as they began the work on the hotel in early 1990s.

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Rogner-Bad Blumau is unique in so many ways – the most compelling being the architecture itself.

There are six “houses” connected by a maze of hallways and green roofs with golden onion domes.

In addition to supplies from the Vulkania springs, the hotel’s numerous pools and bathing areas get water from the Melchior and Balthasar springs.

Original roof tiles from old farmhouses have been used for the facade of one of the rainbow-coloured buildings.

Artist

The late Friedensreich Hundertwasser

They all fit well with the philosophy of Hundertwasser: A life in harmony with nature.

“The great thing about Blumau is the uniqueness,” said Jasmin Rogner, co-owner of the 312-room, four-star hotel.

“It’s a great artwork, which rather increases in value with time,” she wrote in an email.

“The biggest challenge is to interpret this great place consistently.”

Hundertwasser died in February 2000 in his adopted home country of New Zealand.

The hotel sits on the beautiful rolling hills of Bad Blumau, less than an hour from the city of Graz – a UNESCO City of Design and the hometown of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I stayed at the hotel back in March 1998, barely a year after Rogner-Bad Blumau opened its doors to first guests.

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The 1998 launch of Opel Astra at Rogner-Bad Blumau. Photo by Abdul Latheef

I was among a group of journalists flown in from around the world for the launch of a new General Motors car, Opel Astra.

The hotel has since become a major site for product launches and corporate events.

The property is owned by Rogner International Hotels and Resorts.

Bad Blumau is easily accessible from Graz, Vienna and Salzburg. Austrian Airlines has direct flights from Toronto to Vienna while Lufthansa offers flights to Graz from several German cities.

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 Images are courtesy of Rogner-Bad Blumau

Van Gogh adds more colour to Keukenhof

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Air Canada, Amsterdam, Arts, Business, Holland, Keukenhof, KLM, Life, Netherlands, News, Tourism, Travel, Vincent van Gogh

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Van Gogh

Visiting Keukenhof is an exhilarating experience any year.

This year, especially so.

The famous Dutch park has declared 2015 the Van Gogh Year, marking 125 years since the death of the artist.

A 250-square-metre flower mosaic of Vincent van Gogh’s self-portrait will be the highlight when Keukenhof opens on March 20 for the 66th edition of the show.

Keukenhof1

Keukenhof, 1997 – from my family album.

Keukenhof, about 40 kilometres south-west of Amsterdam, is the world’s biggest spring garden, showcasing more than seven million flowers for eight weeks.

The park calls it a “living catalogue” for the Dutch floriculture industry.

Covering an area of more than 30 hectares, it is a breathtaking show of rows upon rows of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths as far as the eye can see.

It all began in 1949, when a small group of flower bulb exporters decided to use the garden outside the Keukenhof Castle in the town of Lisse as an exhibition ground. The first public show was held the next year, and attracted more than 200,000 visitors.

K3This year, some 100 companies and 500 flower growers are participating.

In 2014, Keukenhof attracted a record one million visitors, many of them from North America and Asia.

The park is easily accessible by public transport from Amsterdam.

From Toronto, Dutch national carrier KLM flies directly to Amsterdam while several other airlines offer flights with convenient stopovers.

Air Canada is adding Amsterdam to its international network in June with six flights a week. That is, of course, too late for this year’s show.

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The Van Gogh photo is courtesy of Keukenhof.

 

Study: Emirates has big impact on European economy

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by in A380, Airbus, Business, Dubai, Emirates, EU, Europe, IATA, ITB Berlin, News, Tourism, Transport, Travel

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EKAs one of the world’s biggest travel shows opens in Berlin, Dubai’s Emirates airline has released a study suggesting its operations support more than 85,000 jobs in the European Union countries.

The study, by the consultancy Frontier Economics, also says the airline’s purchases of Airbus A380 superjumbos support an additional 41,00 jobs.

In all, the airline had a €10.2-billion impact on the EU GDP, Emirates quoted Frontier as saying. The study covered 2013-2014.

EK2“Emirates is fully committed to the European market,” said Tim Clark, president of the airline.

“The relationship goes back to 1987 when we first started flying from Dubai to London Gatwick. Since then, we have witnessed growth based on demand and now operate over 350 passenger flights a week from Europe, providing global connectivity via our hub in Dubai.”

The Frontier analysis covered 28 cities served by Emirates in 16 EU states.

ITBEmirates is among the thousands of companies showcasing their products and services at the 49th edition of ITB Berlin, which runs from March 4 until 8.

More than 10,000 exhibitors from 186 countries are participating in the show.

According to official estimates, deals worth €6.5 billion were concluded during last year’s show.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and ITB Berlin.

Bombardier CS300 makes maiden flight

27 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Bombardier, Business, Canada, CS100, CS300, CSeries, Mirabel, Montreal, News, Quebec, Tourism, Transport, Travel

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CS2“It’s a pilot’s aircraft.”

Those are the words of Capt. Andris Litavniks, who was in command on Friday’s maiden flight of Bombardier’s CS300, designed for the 100- to 149-seat, single-aisle market.

The airliner departed Montreal-Mirabel International Airport at 11 a.m. and returned four hours later, marking a major milestone in the CSeries program after years of delays and cost overruns.

“It was an absolute privilege to fly the first flight of the CS300 airliner and I’m absolutely ecstatic with how well it handled,” Litavniks said after landing the aircraft.

“It’s a pilot’s aircraft and handled exactly as predicted by simulation.”

The CS300 is expected to enter service in late 2016.

Test flights for the smaller CS100, which can carry up to 125 people, began in 2013. Certification for that aircraft is expected in the second half of this year with commercial flights starting shortly after that.

Bombardier believes the CS300 offers the best seat-mile cost in its category and is ideal for a range of routes from short-haul to longer transcontinental markets.

“Our CSeries aircraft program is progressing well, with results from testing as expected or better,” said Rob Dewar, vice-president of the program.

“The CS300 airliner will now join the five CS100 aircraft flight test vehicles that have amassed more than 1,000 flight test hours to date.”

Bombardier has won 243 firm orders for the CSeries aircraft, 180 of them for the CS300.

“It was a thrill to see the first CS300 aircraft take to the skies for the first time,” said Mike Arcamone, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

“We continue to see increased interest from all over the world and as our performance targets are validated, we expect the enthusiasm for the CSeries family of aircraft to grow even more.”

Images are courtesy of Bombardier.

Dubai International soars to new heights

27 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Airbus, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Boeing, Business, Dubai, Emirates, IATA, London Heathrow, Luxury Travel, News, Tourism, Transport, Travel

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Airport1Dubai’s main airport has become the busiest international passenger hub. Until now that honour belonged to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Official figures released Tuesday show passenger traffic at Dubai International soared to more than 70.4 million last year, up 6.1 per cent from 66.4 million the previous year.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum

DXB2“This historic milestone is the culmination of over five decades of double-digit average growth,” said Dubai Airports chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum.

“The shared goal is to make Dubai a global centre of aviation and we are nearing that goal thanks to an open skies policy, a friendly business environment, Dubai’s growing attractiveness as a centre for trade, commerce and tourism, growing network connectivity due to the rapid expansion of Emirates and flydubai and timely investment in aviation infrastructure.”

CEO Paul Griffiths said the rapid growth was expected to continue this year.

“Today we are also releasing our projections for 2015 traffic at Dubai International which forecast 79 million passengers,” he said.

“We will have more flights connecting more people to more destinations.”

Dubai also has a second airport, Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central.

Construction of the second phase of that airport is now underway.

Once completed, officials say, the airport will be able to handle 160 million passengers a year. It will also have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes of cargo.

Images are courtesy of Dubai Airports.

Airbus raises aircraft prices

16 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by in A350XWB, A380, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, News, Transport, Travel

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FamiliesA year ago, the Airbus A380 cost a mere US$414 million.

As of January 1, the price of the superjumbo has gone up by $14 million to $428 million, the European aircraft manufacturer announced this week.

The single-aisle A318, the smallest member of the A320 family, will cost just over $74 million while the brand new A350-800 jet will sell for $269.5 million.

AirbusOn average, the company has increased its list price by 3.27 per cent.

That is the price nobody pays though, as airlines typically negotiate a better deal.

“The 3.27 per cent price increase has been calculated according to Airbus’ standard escalation formula over the January 2014 to January 2015 period, and enables Airbus to continue to enhance its profitability,” the company said.

 

Last year, the price went up by 2.6 per cent.

 

Airbus offers aircraft ranging in capacity from 100 to over 500 seats and has

sold more than 15,000 airplanes to some 380 customers worldwide.

 

Images are courtesy of Airbus.

Air Europa orders 14 Boeing 787-9s

15 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in Air Europa, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, All Nippon Airways, Aviation, Boeing, Business, Dreamliner, Globalia, Madrid, News, Spain

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ae

As it continues its transition to an all-Boeing long-haul fleet, Spanish airline Air Europa has ordered 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, valued at $3.6 billion.

Boeing said Thursday the order was booked in December and was previously attributed to an unidentified customer.

In all, the airline has ordered 22 787-8s and 787-9s.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (from my collection).

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (from my collection).

“Since its beginning, Air Europa has always operated the most contemporary airplanes available to the market. With the steps we are taking, we will become an airline with the most modern fleet in the world,” said Juan Jose Hidalgo, president of Globalia, the parent company of Air Europa.

“We have always looked for the best quality and comfort for our passengers and the Boeing 787 meets our needs because it is faster, quieter and more comfortable as well as being more efficient and more respectful to the environment.”

The first Dreamliners will start arriving in 2016.

The airplanes will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

The deal with Rolls-Royce also includes a long term service support, the British engine maker said.

“We have plans to further expand our long-haul service and the Trent 1000 will deliver excellent economics through its performance and support service,” Hidalgo said.

The airline already has eight Trent 1000-powered 787-8s on order that will enter service in 2016.

TrentRolls-Royce said its engines powered the 787 test flight in 2009, the first 787-8 to enter service in late 2011 and the first 787-9 to enter service last year.

The first 787 was delivered to the launch customer All Nippon Airways in September 2011.

Boeing has won orders for 1,071 Dreamliners and delivered 228 so far. In addition to ANA, major customers include AerCap, Etihad Airways, Air New Zealand, Air Canada and Air India.

Air Europa is one of Spain’s largest airlines, serving more than 40 destinations.

Images are courtesy of Air Europa and Rolls-Royce.

Finnair, South African set high environmental standard

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Aviation, Business, Environment, Finnair, IATA, IEnvA, News, South African Airways

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IATAThe organization that represents global airlines says Finnair and South African Airways have become the first carriers to complete the highest level of its environmental assessment program.

The International Air Transport Association said Tuesday they completed State 2 of the IATA Environmental Assessment, or IEnvA, program, aimed at improving an airline’s environmental management.

Finnair“This ensures that an airline has implemented all of the IEnvA program standards, identified and mitigated its significant environmental impacts, and has set performance targets,” IATA said.

“Stage 2 also certifies that an airline has developed processes for monitoring and reviewing its performance against its environmental targets and objectives.”

Meanwhile, Icelandair, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines completed IEnvA Stage 1, joining Air Transat, Kenya Airways, LATAM, LATAM Cargo and Malaysia Airlines.

Five years ago, the industry agreed to cut net carbon emissions by 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2050.

“This certification is proof of our commitment to environmental leadership within the aviation industry,” says Pekka Vauramo, Finnair’s CEO.

“Environmental sustainability is at the core of Finnair’s operations and we are SAcontinuously working to improve our environmental performance.”

There was no immediate comment from South African Airways.

Images are courtesy of IATA, Finnair and South African Airways.

Emirates becomes the wide-body king

28 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by in A380, Airbus, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Aviation, Boeing, Business, Emirates, News, Tourism, Transport, Travel

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The airline's 100th 777-300ER takes off from Everett, Wash. Boeing photo.

Emirates is celebrating a major milestone.

The UAE national carrier now has the world’s largest wide-body aircraft with a fleet of 218 passenger jets and 14 freighters.

In 2014, the airline says, it added 13 Airbus A380s, 12 Boeing 777-300ERs and two Boeing 777 freighters to its fleet.

The aircraft included the 100th Boeing 777-300ER and the 50th Airbus A380.

The Dubai-based airline flies to nearly 150 destinations around the world, including Toronto, operating more than 3,500 flights per week.

Photo shows the airline’s 100th 777-300ER taking off from Everett, Wash., in October 2014. Courtesy: Boeing

Seattle museum gets a Dreamliner

08 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by in Air Canada, Air India, Air New Zealand, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, All Nippon Airways, Aviation, Boeing, Business, Dreamliner, Japan Airlines, Museums, News, Tourism, Transport, Travel

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D2Seattle’s Museum of Flight is celebrating a rare acquisition — one of the original Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner test airplanes.

It was donated this week to the museum by the American manufacturer, also based in Seattle.

Known as ZA003, the airplane was the third 787-8 produced by Boeing.

In donating the aircraft, the company cited its unique past.

Boeing said the ZA003 had circumnavigated the globe multiple times in 2011 and 2012, first as part of test and certification program and later during the Dream Tour, which introduced the 787 to the world.

“This revolutionary airplane caps the museum’s collection of historic commercial airplanes, beginning with our 1932 Boeing 247, which was the first all-metal, modern airliner,” said Doug King, president and CEO of the museum.

“It was followed by our 1969 prototype 747, the first jumbo jet, and now with the first composite airliner, the 787. It’s an incredible addition to our comprehensive display.”

One of the largest air and space museums in the world, the Museum of Flight attracts more than a half million visitors annually.

As of last month, Boeing had won orders for 1,050 Dreamliners from nearly 60 customers. More than 200 airplanes have been delivered so far.

Major Dreamliner operators include All Nippon Airways, Air India, Air New Zealand, Japan Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Air Canada.

Photo shows visitors waiting to see the Dreamliner at the museum Saturday. Courtesy: Boeing 

Etihad’s ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ livery beautiful

28 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by in A380, Abu Dhabi, Airbus, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Aviation, Boeing, Business, Dreamliner, Eithad Airways, News, Transport, Travel

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AirbusLess than a week after unveiling its first Airbus A380 in the beautiful “Facets of Abu Dhabi” livery, Etihad Airways has revealed its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in the same colours.

The airline says the new livery is inspired by the culture, landscapes and the modern architecture of the UAE’s capital.

While the A380 rolled out of the Airbus paint hangar in Germany last week, the Dreamliner rolled out of its paint hangar in the United States on Sunday.

787-9Etihad has ordered a total of 10 Superjumbos and the first A380 will operate on the Abu Dhabi-London route from December. Sydney and New York are other planned A380 routes.

Etihad, which has ordered 71 Dreamliners including 41 787-9s, will get its first aircraft later this year.

They will be introduced on six of the airline’s routes: Dusseldorf, Doha, Washington, Mumbai, Brisbane, Australia and Moscow.

The airline hopes to paint its entire fleet of more than 100 aircraft in the new livery over the next three years.

Images are courtesy of Airbus and Boeing

 

Airbus Helicopters Canada marks 30 years

20 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by in Airbus, Aircraft, Airports, Aviation, Business, Canada, Defence, Fort Erie, News, Transport

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Heli2Airbus Helicopters Canada is celebrating a milestone – its 30th anniversary.

Based in Fort Erie, Ont., it is a subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters, part of the Airbus Group.

In addition to developing and manufacturing parts for the Airbus global supply chain, the company supports more than 180 owners/firms operating some 670 helicopters across Canada.

Ed Fast and Romain Trapp celebrating the 30th anniversary.

Ed Fast and Romain Trapp celebrating the 30th anniversary.

Ed Fast, the federal minister of international trade, was in Fort Erie to celebrate the anniversary

Earlier in a message, President and CEO Romain Trapp thanked owners, operators and employees for making Airbus Helicopters Canada a success story.

“Thank you to the entire Airbus Helicopters Canada team for their engagement, dedication, enthusiasm, involvement and for the numerous achievements made over the past 30 years,” he said in a post on the company website.

Canada has the fifth largest aerospace industry in the world, employing more than 170,000 people and generating revenues of $22 billion.

Images are courtesy of Govt. of Canada and Airbus Helicopters Canada

Boeing: China will need 6,000 new airplanes over next 20 years

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Aviation, Boeing, Business, China, Life, News, Transport, Travel

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b2Boeing, which dominates the Chinese skies, is projecting a demand in the country for more than 6,000 new airplanes over the next 20 years, valued at US$870 billion.

Boeing's China Current Market Outlook

Boeing’s China Current Market Outlook

The American airplane manufacturer’s annual China Current Market Outlook released in Beijing on Thursday shows Chinese airlines will take delivery of nearly 45 per cent of the total demand for airplanes in the Asia-Pacific region during that period.

“China’s aviation market is going through dynamic changes,” said Randy Tinseth of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“New business models like low-cost carriers and airplane leasing companies, a new generation of fuel-efficient airplanes and evolving consumer needs are driving demand for more direct flights to more destinations.”

More than 50 per cent of all commercial jetliners operating in the country are Boeing airplanes, the company said.

It also noted that China is a major contributor of parts to Boeing.

“Some 8,000 Boeing airplanes flying throughout the world with integrated China-built parts and assemblies.”

Worldwide, Boeing projects a demand for 36,770 new commercial airplanes in the next 20 years, worth almost $5.2 trillion