Germany's Lufthansa Airlines will expand its business along the China-Germany route, despite the hit the global aviation industry suffered after the September 11 US terrorist attacks.

Jurgen Weber, Lufthansa Group's chief executive officer, said yesterday that his company has confidence in China's aviation market and is willing to schedule more flights to major Chinese cities.

"Global economy is in slump, but China is an exception," Weber said. "Its economy will keep growing, and its aviation market will keep growing."

Weber is a member of the German Government delegation led by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who is in Beijing for an official visit.

Weber said China's pending entry into the World Trade Organization and Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games will provide airlines with great business opportunities.

"By 2010, I hope Lufthansa can fly four planes a day to Beijing from German cities," he said.

Lufthansa is now in a sharing arrangement with China's flagship airline, Air China, on routes between China and Germany.

But by the end of this year, Lufthansa will extend its services into other six cities - Xi'an, Dalian, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing and Hangzhou - through Air China's network.

Air China, in turn, will then fly to 10 other German cities via Frankfurt, through Lufthansa's network.

Lufthansa will stop some flights from Munich to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sao Paulo.

The airline will use the free capacity to fly the Shanghai and Johannesburg routes during winter months.

(China Daily 11/01/2001)