World Routes 2018 opens in Guangzhou

The World Routes, known as the Olympic Games for the aviation industry, got underway in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Sept 15, and is set to run until Sept 18.

Representatives and officials from airlines, airports, governments and tourism departments convened in the Guangdong capital to talk about airlines and air service development opportunities on a global scale. Over 300 airlines from more than 110 countries and over 700 airport management agencies, as well as 130 government and tourism agencies from 110 countries across the world are taking part in the grand event.

The World Routes 2018 starts off in Guangzhou on Sept 15. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wang Zhiqing, deputy head of Civil Aviation Administration of China, addressed the opening ceremony. He noted that China is an important player in the world's civil aviation industry. In 2017, the country opened 382 new international routes and transported 550 million passengers, accounting for 16.3 percent of the total passenger traffic in the world. Wang hoped that the participants at World Routes 2018 will form more consensuses and reach more cooperation to make greater contributions to the sustainable and healthy development of the world aviation industry.

Guangdong Vice Governor Lin Shaochun also delivered a speech at the ceremony, stating that the province is placing great importance towards the development of the civil aviation industry and established a special airports layout with Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport being the hub. In 2017, the airports in Guangdong province achieved a passenger throughput of 130 million and a cargo and mail throughput of 3.01 million tons, accounting for 11 percent and 19 percent of China's total figure respectively, which strongly supported the sustained and healthy development of Guangdong's economy and society.

The airplane models are on display at the exhibition area of Singapore Changi Airport. [Photo/Xinhua]

"Guangdong will be dedicated to providing quality services and a good environment for domestic and foreign aviation companies, tourism companies and friends from all over the world to invest, travel and seek business opportunities", he added.

World Routes 2018 being held in Guangzhou will attract more routes to operate in the city. It is an excellent opportunity for Guangdong and Guangzhou to show themselves to the global aviation industry, said Steven Small, brand director of the World Route Development Forum.

The World Routes, an event dubbed the Olympics of the civil aviation industry, was firstly held in 1995 and has been held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, London in the UK, Amsterdam in Holland, and Copenhagen in Denmark and so on. Guangzhou is the third Chinese city to host the World Congress after Beijing and Chengdu.

Cooperation contracts are signed at World Routes 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]  

This year's event is held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, and will cover three key areas namely aviation, city and economy. Major airports and airlines around the world, experts from renowned venture capital institutions, relevant national industry research experts, and high-level representatives from all over the world will show up at the event to discuss the relationship between aviation, cities and the economy, and ask for the development of Guangzhou and even joint development of all the cities around the world.