The English phrase for it is a pig’s breakfast.

As reported in these columns the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) has implemented the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) standard, increasing the flight lanes in the height between 8,400m to 12,500m from the original 7 to 13. This effectively doubles the airspace available.

It provides airline companies more flight route resources (they will be applying for more routes), but also puts a lot of pressure on airports.

Meanwhile, just as this was coming in to play airspace controls disrupted the travel plans of thousands of air passengers traveling to and from Shanghai.

These were controls which appear to have been applied by the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC).

Li Jingao, an official with CAAC East China Air Traffic Management Bureau based in Shanghai. said, ‘The controls will be removed on Sunday.’ And apparently this is the case.

But why were these new controls applied in the first place and what was the reason?

CAAC East China Air Traffic Management Bureau, operating as if it were still in an earlier era, refused to divulge the reason for the imposition of the controls.

All that is known is that it came at the behest of the PLA which controls these matters. At least 40 flights were delayed at Shanghai’s two airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, on Friday, including flights bound for Hong Kong, Harbin, Dalian and Chongqing.

Li Jingao, said, ‘More flights are departing now to make up for the previous delays and this has increased pressure on the airports that are already operating at full capacity.’

More than 150 flights were delayed in Shanghai and about 7,000 passengers were affected during the first two days of the airspace controls.

Newly inaugurated air services between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (shown here) and Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport are the second international air route from Haneda Airport, which generally has been dedicated to domestic routes.

The new service provides four round-trip flights a day, operated by Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines.

Narita is Tokyo’s international airport but is located far from central Tokyo (1 hour by the fastest train) and in a different prefecture. It opened in 1978 after riots which reached war-like proportions.
Haneda is technically called Tokyo International Airport and is located in Tokyo proper. It is the busiest airport in Japan and the fourth-busiest in the world, even though it handles very little international traffic.
Hongqiao is Shanghai’s second airport.
Pudong is Shanghai’s international airport.

Both Haneda and Hongqiao are closer to their respective city centers than the main international airports for Tokyo and Shanghai. So a link between these two airports would be great for passengers provided the timing of the flights was right. Gate to gate, a one-way trip to central Shanghai from central Tokyo using the new air route takes about four hours — about an hour less than it takes when using Narita and Shanghai’s Pudong international airports.

Trouble is Haneda has few spare arrival and departure slots.

Thus, current flight schedules on the route are not convenient enough for businesspeople on a theoretical day trip to Shanghai. Even if they depart from Haneda Airport on the day’s first flight at 9:10 a.m., they could only stay in central Shanghai for up to an hour because the last flight heading for Haneda departs at 1:30 p.m.

By contrast, the last flight from Pudong to Narita departs at 5:05 p.m., with about 14 round-trip flights a day on the route. If early-morning and late-night flights on the route become possible, it may boost demand for other international services from Haneda.
Source: Daily Yomuri Online

Representatives of foreign airlines have agreed to make every effort to ensure that visitors to the Beijing Olympics enjoy the smoothest possible arrival in the Chinese capital.

Li Jiangmin, director of the Department of International Affairs & Cooperation under the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), speaking to some 110 representatives from 58 overseas passenger airline carriers, said, ‘Thousands of athletes, journalists and visitors will begin their Olympics journey by getting on board your and our airlines.’ This after guiding them through the just-finished Terminal Three, which greatly increases the airport’s handling capacity.

The foreign airlines have each agreed to select a chief representative as ‘first person responsible for the Olympic project in China and whould have a special envoy for the Olympics in the company.’

The airport will see some 1,400 flights arrive and depart every day when the Games begin next August.

At the moment, before the airport’s new Terminal Three becomes operational, the airport is on a ’slim flight plan’, cutting some 100 domestic flights to ensure flight safety and ease congestion. It aims to handle 1,000 flights a day by October. The new red-roofed terminal is set to open on a trial basis next February.
Source: China.org.cn

Emirates will launch its second daily service to Shanghai on February 1, 2008. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide said: ‘Emirates’ current daily service to Shanghai has been exceptionally successful. From Shanghai, we currently offer excellent connections to Africa and Europe. . . ‘

‘We are seeing a sharp increase in demand since the UAE and Chinese governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate travel for Chinese tourist groups to the UAE.’

Since Emirates’ launch to Shanghai, the number of Chinese hotel visitors in Dubai has more than doubled from 32,265 in 2004 to 68,504 in 2006. Dubai imported $7.6 billion worth of Chinese goods and exported in excess of $134 million to China.

Emirates’ second daily will be served by the airline’s wide-bodied, plush Airbus A340-300 with 267 seats in a three-class configuration.

The problem is whether Dubai, as it stands, can be seen as a hub for international travel.

Dubai airport is not in the same league as Singapore or Hong Kong. Swapping flights there can be a chore.

Emirates is banking on the fact that its superior service — in which it is a world leader and challenges that of Singapore Airlines — is good enough to overcome the handicap of Dubai airport.
Source: Travel Daily News

Virgin Atlantic’s London-Shanghai flight looks as though it may finally make a profit. In the first quarter of this financial year it eased into the black. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ridgway said it was the first profitable result for the route.

He said, ‘We were nearly profitable, then it went backwards, due to September 11, and now it’s coming back again.’

Growth in business from all customer groups — tourists, students and business travelers — is driving the change. Virgin has experienced double-digit growth in passenger volume and revenue every year since the flight’s inception in 1999.

Analysts and industry players say Virgin is not the only airline that has lost money on flights between Shanghai and London. Indeed, it is probable that all three airlines competing on the route are booking annual losses.

Ma Ying, an aviation analyst at Haitong securities, said, ‘Flights to Europe have a lower passenger traffic than those going to the United States. Airlines are willing to soldier on despite losses because they are upbeat about the market’s long-term prospects.’

Virgin Atlantic became the first airline to fly the London-Shanghai route in 1999. It was joined by China Eastern in 2004 and British Airways in 2005.
Source: Shanghai Daily