Dubai Eyes More Chinese Tourists with China Eastern Airlines’ Entry

DUBAI — Dubai is eyeing more tourists from China following the maiden flight of China Eastern Airlines from Kunming International Airport in Yunnan Province to Dubai on Monday afternoon bringing in the first 130 passengers.

By Lily B. Libo-on

Published: Wed 24 Feb 2010, 10:45 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 10:21 AM

The second biggest airline in China next to China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines is the fourth Chinese airlines to service the China-UAE route. These airlines will cater to more than 44 million people in the area, many of whom are businessmen and tourists.

The maiden flight of China Eastern Airline is a result of the visit of a Yunnan delegation to Dubai headed by Yunnan Governor Qin Guangrong in late 2008, which held talks with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) reaching a consensus in carrying out co-operation between Yunnan and Dubai in tourism investment, tourist distribution, tourism aviation, international airway networks and airport construction.

Jamal Mohd Al Hai, senior vice-president of the Dubai Airport and member of the Federal National Council, told Khaleej Times that China Eastern Airline is the 131^st airline to service Dubai and the region to other countries.

He said that the arrival of this airline has brought further the bilateral agreement between UAE and China which has led to a very promising and excellent result as far as the promotion of tourism in both countries is concerned.

Al Hai also said that the arrival of China Eastern Airlines will definitely increase the tourist traffic from China and enhance the Dubai-Yunnan ties.

He said that the Dubai Airport is targeting to lure three or four airlines every year, and for this year China Eastern Airlines is one of the four from Asia and Europe. “We can still host 30 more airlines.

Saeed Al Aabdi, Chairman of the Alaabdi Holding LLC representing the China Eastern Airlines, told Khaleej Times that the arrival of many airlines to Dubai is a proof that the emirate, and UAE as a whole, is a major global destination is on the right track. “Whatever is the economic situation of the world, Dubai will remain as a major tourist destination of the world.

He said that the UAE-China trade is currently standing at $14 billion and China is one of the largest economic partners of the UAE.

China Eastern Airlines will be flying between Kunming International Airport and Dubai International Airport thrice weekly, specifically every Monday (non-stop), Wednesday and Saturday departing Kunming Airport at 16:00 hours and makes stopover at the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, and then flies one-way non-stop to Dubai.

The service of China Eastern Airlines wil cut the current eight hours travel time from China to Dubai. Before the opening of the Kunming-Dubai air route, tourists travelling from China to Dubai had to start the journey from Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou or change to other flights to Hong kong, which cost them about two extra hours compared with the flying time of Kunming-Dubai route.

The route is expected to enrich the flying structure of airways connecting China and the UAE, and offer the quickest air passage for people travelling to Dubai from Northwest, East and Central South China.

Chinese Vice-Consul Qiang Wei at the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Dubai, told Khaleej Times that the opening of Dubai-Yunnan route will greatly benefit the Chinese community in Dubai comprising 150,000 people, 80 per cent of them are businessmen who are frequent travellers between the two countries.

lily@khaleejtimes.com