China opens new air routePress Trust of India / New Delhi April 12, 2008In a bid to reduce congestion and enhance air traffic over its airspace, China has opened up a new route before the Beijing Olympics that would save almost 26,000 tonnes of jet fuel annually. The new route, opened two days ago and called B208 in air traffic management parlance, would provide a short and straightened access to flights between Europe and China. With the help of this new route and introduction of the Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) by the Chinese aviation authorities, the number of flights expected each week on this route would be as many as 475 and the distance saved per flight would be 60 nautical miles or 111 kilometres. This, in turn, would lead to annual savings of 26,000 tonnes of jet fuel and 82,672 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Indian agencies, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and even the Indian Space Research Organisation, are working on straightening and shortening the air routes including those over the seas and oceans around it, which are provided radar coverage by them. Welcoming the opening of the new Chinese air route, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Giovanni Bisignani said it would "alleviate air traffic delays and congestion as flights from Europe to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong will no longer have to be channeled through Beijing." Calling it the "Olympic Bypass", Bisignani said the IATA had been holding discussions with Beijing since 2006 for allowing shortened routes over the Chinese airspace. "This is a win-win situation for all
