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China’s economy is growing unabated and foreign corporations are searching for their share of the spoils. As host to the Olympic Games this year, options for flying to and around this vast nation are not in short supply, says Colin Ellson

THIS was to have been a triumphal year for China. Having secured the Olympic Games for Beijing, the People’s Republic planned to show off its achievements to three million visitors to the capital and a worldwide TV audience.

As arguably the fastest-growing economy on earth, industrialising at breakneck pace, and achieving a GDP growth rate of 9% per annum, there is much to be proud of.

Not, however, China’s human rights record, most recently the crackdown in Tibet. This triggered massive demonstrations as the Olympic torch was borne abroad en route to the opening ceremony on August 8.

But the biggest setback to progress was the earthquake in Sichuan province which claimed an estimate 68 million lives. Paradoxically, the huge relief effort after the tragedy, and the mass demonstration of grief united the disparate nation as never before, showing the human side to the traditionally self-interested Chinese business sector.

Said one Western diplomat: “The outpouring of international goodwill has changed everything, even rekindling the Olympic torch. Now many will be cheering for the Chinese... that will be pivotal for China’s self confidence and its perception of its place in the world.”

Against a more positive background, UK executives doing business in China will find a consumer market of 1.2 billion people, eager to snap up their goods and services. Britain’s exports to the country exceed £5 billion a year, and UK Trade & Investment sets out a mouth watering shopping list of future potential – everything from financial services to healthcare, aerospace to automotive, electronics to pharmaceuticals, plus investment opportunities in energy, construction, retail and telecoms.

Accessing this gold mine of a market is increasingly easy, with some 30 airlines providing a variety of routeings from the UK, and demand fuelling further expansion.

In March, for example, Lufthansa was the first European carrier to start non-stop flights to Nanjing, and in June, the German national airline launched services to Shenyang. Meanwhile, Finnair has invested most in the Asia-Pacific region relative to its size. In 1999, it dropped all its North Atlantic routes, except for New York, to progressively switch the rest of its long-haul capacity to Asia, including services to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.  

Gulf carriers, too, are responding to demand. Emirates added Guangzhou to its Chinese network out of Dubai from July 1, and Qatar Airways launched flights from Doha to the economic powerhouse at the beginning of April.

The Chinese market takes patience and perseverance, but as Confucius he say: “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”

Beijing
Some three million visitors are expected in China’s capital and scientific centre for the Olympics. The event will cost $16 billion to stage, but 2.1 million Games-related jobs will be created, and investment in the infrastructure is expected to benefit the city for many years.   

British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Beijing three times a day non-stop, Air China daily, with a journey time of some 10 hours. Over a dozen Asian, European and Gulf carriers offer either direct or one-stop flights from their hubs. These include ANA (Tokyo), Finnair (Helsinki), Air France (Paris Charles de Gaulle), Lufthansa (Frankfurt and Munich), Emirates (Dubai), Japan Airlines (Tokyo), Singapore Airlines (Singapore), Cathay Pacific  (Hong Kong), Etihad (Abu Dhabi),  KLM (Amsterdam), Thai Airways (Bangkok), Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur), Korean Air (Seoul), and China Airlines (Taipei).

Changchun
The city’s industrial system covers 3,000 types of product in 128 categories, mainly transport facilities and machinery, including automobiles, passenger trains and tractors

KLM flies to Changchun daily from Amsterdam Schiphol via Beijing, and Asiana has frequent services from Seoul.

Chengdu
The city, Western China’s financial hub, was badly damaged in the earthquake in Sichuan province, although the airport is operational. The task of clearing up is underway in this powerhouse for IT and electronic research and development.

KLM serves Chengdu twice weekly non-stop from Schiphol, Thai Airways flies five times a week from Bangkok, and Asiana offers frequent connections out of Seoul.

Chongqing
Noted for its heavy and military industries, the south western city is also home to Asia’s largest aluminium plant, is rich in natural resources, and has China’s biggest natural gas field.

The only international service to the city is with Asiana from Seoul, but there are frequent domestic flights from China’s major hub airports.

Dalian
Located in Liaoning province, Dalian is China’s northernmost ice-free seaport, and is one of the most heavily developed industrial areas in the country.

There are daily flights to Dalian with Korean Airways from Seoul, and Japan Airlines offers connections from Tokyo.

Guangzhou
The economic centre of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou is at the heart of China’s leading commercial and manufacturing region.  

Weekly frequencies to Guangzhou include three with Air France from Paris Charles de Gaulle, four with Finnair from Helsinki, and five with Lufthansa out of Frankfurt. Thai Airways has a daily service from Bangkok, Singapore Airlines offers a twice-daily frequency from Singapore, and Korean Airlines operates four flights a week from Seoul. Emirates provides a similar frequency from Dubai, as does Qatar Airways flying from Doha. Further options are Japan Airlines from Tokyo or Asiana from Seoul. 

Hangzhou
Traditional industries in the scenic city in Zhejiang province are textiles, silk, machinery and tea, with electronics and other light industries developing fast. 

Japan Airlines flies from Tokyo to Hangzhou daily, and from Osaka three times a week,   low-cost Air Asia X five times weekly from Kuala Lumpur, and there are frequent Asiana services departing Seoul.

Harbin
On the Songhua River in Heilongjiang province, Harbin is the political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications centre of North Eastern China. 

With no other international routes, the flight to Harbin is via Seoul, flying on with Asiana.

Hong Kong
Handed back to China in 1997, the former British colony is now a special administrative region of the People’s Republic, but remains one of the world’s leading financial centres, a prime example of laissez-faire capitalism.   

From London Heathrow, British Airways serves Hong Kong direct three times a day, Cathay Pacific four times, and Virgin Atlantic daily. Continental non-stop operations include Lufthansa’s daily flights from Frankfurt and Munich, 12 services a week by Air France from Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Finnair’s daily departures from Helsinki. In addition, connections to HK from their Asian hubs are provided by ANA, Japan Airlines, China Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Eva Air, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines and Korean Airlines, with Emirates flying from the Gulf and Asiana from Seoul.     

Nanjing
Once the capital of China, the city in Jiangsu province has long been a national hub of education, research, transportation and tourism.

Singapore Airlines flies daily to Nanjing from Singapore, Lufthansa five times a week from Frankfurt, and Asiana from Seoul.

Qingdao
A major sea port, naval base and industrial centre in Shandong province, the green and lush city is also the site of the Tsing-tao Brewery, a popular brand name in China.

Japan Airlines flies from Tokyo to Qingdao daily and from Osaka four times a week, and from Seoul, Korean Airlines offers a daily service and Asiana frequent departures.

Shanghai
The city at the mouth of the Yangtze River has been trading with Europe since the mid-19th century, an influence on its splendid architecture. It is both China’s economic dynamo and largest city, and foreign investment has contributed to amazing economic growth.  

Virgin Atlantic serves Shanghai daily from Heathrow.  Air France has 12 flights a week from Paris Charles de Gaulle, Finnair provides a daily frequency from Helsinki, KLM flies daily from Amsterdam Schiphol, and Lufthansa operates 10 times a week from Frankfurt, once a day from Munich. Offering high frequencies from their hubs are Korean Airlines, Japan Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, China Airlines, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Asiana. 

Shenyang
Located in Liaoning province, Shenyang is an important industrial, transportation and commercial centre. Developing industries include software and vehicle manufacturing.  

The only direct route to the city from Europe is with Lufthansa, which launched three flights a week from Munich via Seoul in June. From Seoul, Korean Airlines flies to Shenyang daily, and Asiana offers frequent services.  

Shenzhen
The city was chosen as the first of China’s Special Economic Zones in the late 1970s, and has been a fast-growing centre ever since, largely due to its proximity to Hong Kong.

Korean Airlines flies to Shenzen 10 times a week from Seoul, from where Asiana has frequent links     

Wuhan
At the intersection of the Yangtze and Han rivers in Hubei province, the city is the political, economic, financial, cultural, educational and transportation hub of Central China.

The only international link to Wuhan is on Korean Airlines’ three flights a week from Seoul, departure point for Asiana’s services to the city.

Xian
Best known for the discovery of the Qin Dynasty Terracotta Army, the capital of Shaanxi province is today involved in research and development, national security and China’s space exploration programme.

KLM flies to Xian daily from Amsterdam Schiphol via Shanghai, Japan Airlines twice-weekly from Tokyo, and Korean Airlines and Asiana from Seoul.

Flying China
Time was when flying around China took a lot of nerve, playing a sort of Russian Roulette with air safety. Since the 1990s, however, the aviation authorities have sought overseas advice and thrashed out a safety roadmap which claims to have improved the accident rate of Chinese carriers tenfold.  So UK executives can uncross their fingers and enjoy the experience – confident that naming a low-cost airline Lucky doesn’t mean flying on a wing and a prayer. In addition to the domestic networks of traditional airlines like China Southern and China Eastern, there are now more than a dozen budget carriers connecting cities across China from the main hubs of Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. Cathay Pacific sister Dragonair, for example, operates 400 flights a week from Hong Kong to 21 cities on the Chinese mainland; while under a new code-share agreement with China Eastern, Japan Airlines serves 13 cities in China from 10 Japanese cities.       

THE CARBON COST
The table below shows the distance covered by a return flight between London and the destination, along with the approximate carbon emissions and the cost of offsetting it with the CarbonNeutral Company. See: www.carbonneutral.com.