Continental Airlines is eyeing further expansion in the China market, the airlines' President of Asia Pacific Division Mark Erwin said in Hong Kong Friday.

Addressing a luncheon marking the fifth anniversary of Continental Airlines' non-stop scheduled service between Hong Kong and New York, Erwin thanked Hong Kong for its support over the past five years.

"This anniversary comes after one of our most successful years in the Hong Kong market and we remain firmly committed to this market. The China market is very important to Continental and our commitment to international growth is stronger than ever," he said.

On March 3 2001, Continental Airlines began the daily non-stop flight from Hong Kong to New York, with a Boeing 777 aircraft. This marked the first time any airline had a scheduled non-stop service between the two cities.

In order to expand the China market, Continental Airlines has filed an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation for opening a non-stop airline from Shanghai to New York, Erwin said.

"Our Beijing to New York non-stop flight, which was launched in June last year, continues to perform well," he added.

The total number of passengers that Continental handled in the Pacific region in 2005 is 2,231,000, said Bessy Hui, marketing manager of Continental Airlines.

Continental Airlines also announced Friday that it was again rated the top airline on FORTUNE's annual America's Most Admired airline industry list. Continental was also included in the publication's annual "Top 50" list, which ranks all companies across a wide variety of industries.

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline. It has more than 3,000 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 151 domestic and 133 international destinations.

Source: Xinhua