ETHIOPIAN Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, said it had finalized preparations for a new air route from the capital of the East African country to Shenzhen.

Currently, the flag carrier of Ethiopia flies to five cities in China — Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

This will be the first flight connecting Shenzhen and Africa after the launch of the Shenzhen-Addis Ababa route.

The Shenzhen airport is quickly expanding its list of international flights.

On Tuesday, Shenzhen Airlines opened a direct flight to London, the United Kingdom, and 10 days earlier, a direct flight was launched by Hainan Airlines between Shenzhen and Vienna, Austria.

In the first half of the year, the Shenzhen opened seven international routes, including five intercontinental routes to Brussels in Belgium, Madrid in Spain, St. Petersburg in Russia, Vancouver in Canada and Darwin in Australia.

By 2020, the number of international passenger air routes will have reached 65, according to the airport’s plan. By 2025, the number is expected to have reached 90.

The opening of international and intercontinental flights not only provides choices for businesspeople and tourists traveling from the Pearl River Delta area, but also stimulates economic development and cultural exchanges.

The Shenzhen airport handled 24 million passengers between January and June, an increase of 10.6 percent over the same period last year. The number of international passengers rose by 34.7 percent to 1.87 million in the first six months of the year.

(SD-Xinhua)