Zhengzhou airport expands international coverage with US flights by 2013

THE expansion of Zhengzhou Airport, in northern Henan province, is gathering speed with international connections being extended to Japan on July 1 and US flights by the end of the year.

The new service to Japan is operated by Shanghai Airlines. It flies from Zhengzhou via Shanghai's Pudong to Osaka, using Airbus 320 aircraft, offering seven flights a week. Take-off time from Zhengzhou is 1230 hrs. Arrival time at Tokyo is 1830 hrs (local time).

Zhengzhou airport has been operating 13 regional and international flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Seoul, Osaka, Busan and Daegu - 41 flights a week. Six are regional routes to Hong Kong, Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Magong and Hualien, offering 21 flights per week.

There are 23 passenger airlines and five cargo airlines operating a total of 86 services from Zhengzhou to 57 destinations, bringing a weekly aircraft movement of over 1,100 flights to the airport.

By the end of this year, the airport will possibly start a new service to Jakarta and Chicago. The airport is also in talks with carriers about other international routes to Sydney, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, Zurich and Thailand.