Two Shanghai-based carriers are rushing to open new air routes to gain the upper hand in the international and domestic markets respectively.

China Eastern Airlines Group, the larger of the two, last weekend commenced ten international routes from Dalian, in northeast China's Liaoning Province, to London, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and New Delhi, with stopovers in Shanghai, today's Laodong Daily reported. 

Shanghai Airlines Co Ltd, the smaller carrier, has launched a route from Shanghai to Shangri-la, the airlines' third route to Yunnan Province, the others being to Lijiang and Xishuangbanna.  Four flights are scheduled for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with a stopover in Yunnan's Kunming.

China Eastern's expansion of international routes reflects the carrier's ambitions in the out-bound aviation business, according to a spokesperson cited in the Laodong Daily report.

"We must exploit the market and sharpen our competitiveness before our overseas rivals flood in," he said.

Two weeks ago, the company commenced seven international routes from west China's Chonqing to Paris, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, New Delhi and Bombay, again with stopovers in Shanghai.

(Shanghai Daily July 26, 2005)