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Air France connects two nations
By Lu Haoting (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-14 10:43

Legre's busy work schedule could well explain the explosive growth of the Franco-Dutch airline group in China in recent years. Air France KLM doubled its capacity to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in only three years and now flies twice daily to the three main gateways.

With two brands in one group, Air France KLM will offer 77 weekly flights in summer 2008 to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Chengdu. It has become the leading European carrier in the country with the largest seat capacity between Europe and China.

Air France was the first Western airline to serve the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1966. The once-a-week flight was carried out by a Boeing 707 and it took 22 hours and 25 minutes to fly from Paris to Shanghai via Athens, Cairo, Karachi and Phnom Penh.

France and the PRC officially established diplomatic relations in 1964, which was the first time that a major Western country had recognized the PRC. Two years later, the two countries granted each other the right to fly commercially between Paris and Shanghai.

The Paris-Beijing route was inaugurated in 1973 via Karachi on French president George Pompidou's official visit to China. Air France was the first Western airline flying to the PRC's capital. The Paris-Shanghai flight was suspended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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