Sino-Russia aviation negotiation held in Sanya

A three-day meeting of the Sino-Russia aviation negotiation was held in Sanya, Hainan from February 19th to 21st. The event was attended by 60 delegates from China and Russia. In attendance were officials and representatives of the CAAC, FATA, and airline companies, and bilateral experts on opening international air routes. Vice Minister Yang Guoqing of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) led the delegation of eleven Chinese domestic airlines, including Air China and China Eastern Airlines. At the same time, Senior Official Oleg O. Demidov of the Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA) under the Ministry of Transport of Russian Federation, led the delegation of ten Russian airlines, including Aeroflot Russian Airlines and Transaero Airlines. Mayor Lu Zhiyuan of the City of Sanya welcomed the Chinese and Russian delegates on February 19th. Lu signified the city’s intention to provide better service for Russian airlines flying to Sanya during a formal banquet hosted by the City Mayor. The Mayor said that Sanya will develop more tourism products that will suit the requirements of Russian tourists. “The city would also promote better services by providing tourism facilities complete with language and shopping environment convenient for Russians traveling to Sanya,” Lu added. According to Russian Senior Official Demidov, Sanya tourism is very famous in Russia. “The FATA would create favorable conditions to let more Russian tourists travel and enjoy the holiday in Sanya,” he added. Based on the record of the CAAC, there were over 4,000 movements of international flights at Sanya Fenghuang International Airport in 2007. The airport registered a passenger volume of almost 460,000 person times entering and exiting Sanya’s aviation hub last year. Of the 460,000 passengers recorded, 152,000 were Russian passengers, occupying one third of the city’s total passenger volume in 2007.