Content area
Full Text
China Eastern Airlines and subsidiary Shanghai Airlines formally joined SkyTeam in Beijing in late June, making the alliance the first global airline grouping to have two major Chinese member carriers; China Southern Airlines joined SkyTeam in November 2007.
Shanghai-based CEA becomes SkyTeam's 14th member. Taipei-based China Airlines is scheduled to join in September and the alliance is expected to reach 19 members by next year. With the addition of CEA, "we firmly solidify our position as the No.1 alliance for the Greater China region," said SkyTeam MD Michael Wisbrun. CEA and Shanghai Airlines bring 32 new destinations to SkyTeam's network.
Boeing forecast demand in India for 1,320 new passenger aircraft valued at around $150 billion over the next 20 years, a dramatic increase over Indian market projections made by the manufacturer five years ago. In fact, Boeing's 20-year market value for India has more than doubled since 2006, when it projected that India's airlines would order 856 passenger aircraft valued at $72 billion over 20 years. "Robust growth with new economic prosperity amongst a massive Indian population, discretionary incomes, business progress and...