Society

Flights to remain airborne

By Xin Dingding (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-18 07:51

BEIJING - Flights between Beijing and Shanghai will not be canceled after the opening of the landmark high-speed railway between the two cities in June, though fast trains have driven a few other flights out of the market, China's top civil aviation official said.

Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said in an interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV on Saturday that measures will be taken to shorten the time that passengers spend at airports on security checks and check-in, and improve punctuality.

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"If the whole process (of flying) between Beijing and Shanghai can be shortened to three hours or less, air transport will use two hours less compared to high-speed trains. Some business travelers will find the two hours important," Li said.

But the new high-speed railway's opening will still have an effect on air transport, and the administration is researching more details of possible impact, he said.

About 7 million passengers travel between the two cities by air each year.

Earlier this month, flights between Nanjing and Wuhan were canceled because of fast train service on the same route.