A sleek new bridge between two great cities
Updated: 2014-08-07 11:22
By Jack Freifelder in New York (China Daily USA)
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On Wednesday, China Southern Airlines announced a new direct non-stop service between Guangzhou and New York, a move the airline sees as a boon to its growing international operations.
China Southern's maiden flight out of Guangzhou arrived in New York at John F. Kennedy International Airport early Wednesday morning, welcomed by a water cannon salute. Si Xianmin, chairman of China Southern, Chen Gang, executive vice-president, and Li Jun, assistant president, were among the company officials aboard the flight.
The new 15-hour nonstop service will consist of four round-trip flights a week between JFK and Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, the capital and largest city of Guangdong province.
Guangzhou is a key manufacturing and commercial hub. Its proximity to Shenzhen and Hong Kong makes it a popular destination for tourists and business enterprises.
Guangzhou-based China Southern is one of the world's largest airlines by number of passengers, carrying more than 90 million travelers in 2013, according to company data. It ranks No 1 in Asia with the largest fleet and number of passengers transported.
The establishment of the New York-Guangzhou route is China Southern's first new US route since the airline began operating in the country in 1997. Its last new North American route was between Vancouver and Guangzhou in 2012, but the airline also flies to Los Angeles, Chicago and Anchorage, Alaska.
China Southern operates more than 1,900 flights daily to 190 destinations in 40 countries.
jackfreifelder@chinadailyusa.com
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RUNWAY LINE-UP From left: Liang Shijie, deputy director of CAAC central and southern regional administration; Gert-Jan de Graff, president and CEO of JFKIAT, LLC; Michael Moran, JFK general Manager; Si Xianmin, chairman of China Southern Airlines; Susan T. Mitchell, port director of JFK Airport; Rich Newman, executive vice-president of state marketing strategy at Empire State Development; Cheng Lei, acting consul general of Chinese Consulate General in New York; pose for a group photo after the press conference of China Southern Airlines' Boeing 777-300ER Guangzhou-New York inaugural flight on Wednesday at JFK International Airport. Hu Haidan / China Daily |
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NEW BEGINNING Si Xianmin (center), chairman of China Southern Airlines, and Gert-Jan de Graff, president and CEO of JFKIAT, LLC, attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony during China Southern Airlines' Boeing 777-300ER Guangzhou-New York inaugural flight on Wednesday morning at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Liang Shijie (left), deputy director of CAAC central and southern regional administration and Susan T. Mitchell (right), port director of JFK Airport, attended the ceremony. Hu Haidan / China Daily |
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SKY'D THE LIMIT Cheng Lei (at podium), acting general consul of the Consulate General of China in New York, delivers a speech to guests at the event on Wednesday in New York. Lei was among a number of guests who attended the gala dinner, a list that included a number of New York government officials. Jack Freifelder / China Daily |
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NEXT SPEAKER Edward H. Bastian, president of Delta Air Lines, prepares to speak to the audience on Wednesday at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Bastian was one of nearly 300 guests who were invited to a gala dinner celebration in honor of China Southern's direct flight launch between New York and Guangzhou. Jack Freifelder / China Daily |
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FRIENDLY CHAT James Sasser (left), former US Ambassador to China, chats with Robert Hormats (right), vice-chairman of Kissinger Associates Inc and former under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, on Wednesday at a reception celebrating the launch of China Southern's direct flight service between New York and Guangzhou. Jack Freifelder / China Daily |
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PRIVATE PERFORMANCE Chinese musicians perform for guests on Wednesday at the China Southern Gala Dinner at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. The performer on the left is playing the pipa, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. Hu Haidan / China Daily |
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CHARM TO SPARE Two flight attendants pose at the press conference of China Southern Airlines' Boeing 777-300ER Guangzhou-New York inaugural flight on Wednesday morning at Terminal 4 of JFK International Airport. Hu Haidan / China Daily |
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TOUCHDOWN The inaugural direct flight of China Southern Airlines from Guangzhou city arrived at 5:30 am on Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Hu Haidan / China Daily |
(China Daily USA 08/07/2014 page7)
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