With the taking off of Boeing 747 on August 9, 2013, the first passenger air route from Chongqing to North America — Chongqing-San Francisco Route has officially opened.
This route fills a gap from Chongqing to North America. As up to now there has never been a direct North American route from Chongqing.
Chongqing’s international passenger network has begun to take shape within the last few years, now covering 19 International passenger routes.
San Francisco is a famous economic and financial center along the west coast of the United States, and it has had economic and trade relations with Chongqing for a long time. With the advancement of economic development and booming of high-tech industries in Chongqing in recent years, the trade and commercial relations between Chongqing and North America (especially Silicon Valley) have become much closer.
In addition, Chongqing has witnessed a boom of international travel and the opening of this route is set to meet the tourist demand , quoted management from Chongqing Airport.
In addition to the Chongqing-San Francisco route , which was put into service on August 9, 2013. A direct route from Chongqing to Los Angeles will also open in August. “The operation of these 2 routes will bring Chongqing and the United States closer, promote business exchange, economic and trade cooperation between these 2 regions”, said an official from the Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission.
In 2012, exports from Chongqing to the United States amounted to $8.08 billion (a 147.3% increase on the year before) and imports from the United States amounted to $1.24 billion (increasing by 57.2% from the year before). Export products from Chongqing to the United States are mainly large and medium electronic appliances, automobile and motorcycle parts and building materials. While import products from the United States are mainly metallic raw materials, automobile and motorcycle parts and large and medium instruments.
With these 2 routes in service it will become more convenient to make business travel between Chongqing and the United States. And it will attract more American enterprises to investigate and invest in Chongqing. It will also help those American enterprises to conduct business in Western China (with Chongqing as a gateway to the region) and it will reduce cost and time for those employees of those US-funded enterprises from Chongqing and the whole western area to go to and from the headquarters.
At present, Chongqing Airport has opened 19 international (area) passenger routes (for details see attached chart), Chongqing to Doha, Helsinki, Seoul and Singapore, to name a few. And 20 international (area) freight routes, including Chongqing to Moscow, Luxembourg and Amsterdam have come into service. Beginning with these routes, the commercial and passenger air network has begun to take shape. With the network meeting demand across Europe, North America and Asia.
Chongqing will also introduce a direct trans-continental flight from Chongqing to Australia and Moscow. After which Chongqing Airport will have access to main economic sectors, and key areas such as : Europe, North America, Middle East and Australia.
Zhang Xi