The 24th World Route Development Forum 2018 is to be held from September 16th to 18th in Guangzhou, with around 3,500 people in attendance. The event is known as the "Olympics" or "World Expo" of civil aviation.
The list of attendees includes over 300 airlines and 700 management authorities from 112 countries and regions, over 130 governmental bodies as well as tourist agencies are also attending, making the conference the biggest in its history.
“We have exceeded all our targets for attendance and have been bowled over by the response to the event.” Steven Small, Brand Director for the Routes events, expressed his confidence. “In fact, there are 21 carriers attending World Routes 2018 who have never attended a Routes event before.”
The route event this year, with the title ‘Gather in Guangzhou to Connect the World’, is the third one to be held in China, after Beijing in 2009 and Chengdu in 2016. Guangzhou has won this opportunity through its establishment as a strategic center for international transportation and technological development in the aviation industry.
According to Chen Zhiying, Executive Deputy Mayor of Guangzhou, Baiyun International Airport recorded a 65-million passenger throughput in 2017, ranking 13th globally. Of those 65 million 24% are international tourists.
With a network linking more than 210 destinations, Guangzhou is now an important international transit point connecting Australia, East Asia and Southeast Asia. The Guangzhou Airport Economic Zone has initially formed five high-end airport industrial clusters for aircraft maintenance and passenger to cargo aircraft conversion, aviation logistics, aviation headquarters business, airport cross-border e-commerce and aircraft leasing.
The event will kick off at Guangzhou’s Pazhou International Convention and Exhibition Center, among other things showcasing Guangzhou’s route network, and the development of the city’s aviation economy and tourism culture.
An MOU on cooperation in route development will be signed between the Guangdong Airport Group and other airlines. The organizer will also hold three major themed forums entitled: “Aviation City”, “Airport-related Industry” and “Smart Innovation”, with major airports and airlines, experts from well-known venture capital institutions and high-level representatives from all over the world in attendance.
They will discuss the relationship between aviation, cities, economy and innovation, so as to “give wings” to Guangzhou and cities worldwide as a whole, creating new opportunities and pushing forward development.
Guangzhou, with its aviation network, has laid a solid foundation in its quest to become a truly international metropolis. Guangzhou is seizing the opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative and, coupled with the construction of airports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the strategic positioning of Guangzhou, it has proposed a route expansion plan to open more international direct flights, cementing the city as a world-class aviation hub.
Reported by Will, Eric
Edited by Simon
