CHINA. Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport said yesterday it is close to reaching a comprehensive partnership deal with Airport Authority Hong Kong.
The deal could see the latter take a stake of up to 49% in mainland China’s tenth-largest airport.
“We have been in talks with several potential investors including airports in Singapore and Copenhagen, but Hong Kong turns out to be our most likely partner,” a Hangzhou airport official told Business Daily Update.
Xiaoshan airport is based in Hangzhou in the eastern Zhejiang Province. It began operations in mid-2000 and business has boomed since, driven by strong international trade in the Yangtze River Delta region.
As a result, the airport has more than doubled passenger traffic over the past four years. It now operates 120 air routes, including eight international routes. It handled 6.3 million passengers up sharply from 2.98 million in 2001.
“But that is not enough. We will attract more airlines and open more international routes, especially to the US and Europe,” the official said.
Some 20 domestic and international carriers now offer services from the airport, including China Eastern, China Southern, Malaysia Airlines, Korean Air and All Nippon Airways.
