The US Department of Transportation (DOT) confirmed yesterday that United Airlines has secured final approval for its daily non-stop flight between Washington DC and Beijing.

 

"Today's action finalizes DOT's tentative decision to award the seven weekly frequencies to United, whose bid the department determined would serve the most customers and provide the best service to the traveling public," the department said in a statement.

 

The new non-stop service will first take off on March 25 between Washington Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport.

 

Four US carriers, American, United, Continental and Northwest, had vied to win the rights for the only flight opening to the fast-growing China market.

 

"If there are two countries in this world that understand the need for fast, efficient and convenient service, it's the US and China," Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said. "That's why we are making it a lot easier to travel between the capital cities of the world's two most dynamic economies starting later next month."

 

The US and Chinese governments are each awarding rights to a local carrier to operate seven flights a week connecting the two countries, under an aviation agreement signed in July 2004.

 

However, Peters said that recent talks between the two countries were seeking to increase flight frequencies for both passenger and cargo services, adding that she would travel to China this spring to discuss the liberalization of the US-China aviation agreement.

 

"It is clear that the market could support much more service, so we are redoubling our efforts to liberalize our aviation agreement with China," she said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2007)