China Southern Airlines opens flights between Wuhan, Paris

China Southern Airlines opened a flight between Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, and Paris, Tuesday.

Passengers on the flight will have to transfer planes in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

A Boeing 737-800 with 160 seats will fly the route from Wuhan to Guangzhou, while the international flight from Guangzhou to Paris will be carried out by Boeing 777 with 300-plus seats, said He Zongkai, general manager of the Hubei branch of China Southern Airlines.

The flight will cover 11,000 kilometers, with a flight times of one hour and 20 minutes from Wuhan to Guangzhou and 13 hours from Guangzhou to Paris.

The flight will take off from Wuhan at 6:20 p.m. each Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. The return flight will leave Paris at 11:30 a.m. local time each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

With frequent economic cooperation and cultural exchanges, Hubei Province, located at the middle of the Yangtze River, has become a major investment destination for French companies.

France has its consulate in Hubei Province and French companies have set up 83 joint-ventures or solely French invested companies in Hubei. Part of the "French Culture Year" activities have been held in Wuhan last month.

More than 150 tickets of the maiden flight have been sold, about 50 percent of the total seats. The first-class ticket is currently sold at 11,000 yuan (1,325 US dollars), while the business-class ticket at 4,300 yuan (518 US dollars), said He Zongkai.

Source: Xinhua