China and Singapore Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding on the expansion of aviation transportation between the two countries.

The memorandum was signed in Beijing between Yang Yuanyuan, director general of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), and Yeo Cheow Tong, Singapore's Minister for Transport.

The memorandum enables airlines of the two sides to fly freely on any route between the two countries without limits on frequency of flights.

Yang said the memorandum also freed limits on code-sharing cooperation of airline companies and aircraft leasing, indicating further liberalized aviation cooperation between the two countries.

China and Singapore started aviation cooperation in 1979. By 2004, airlines of the two countries have transported a total of 1.88 million passengers between the two countries.

Currently Chinese airlines operate 82 passenger and seven freight flights on the China-Singapore air route every week, while Singaporean firms offer 88 passenger and ten freight flights.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2005)