Associated Press
UPS Gets OK for Increased China Flights
Friday April 1, 4:07 pm ET
Shipping Carrier UPS Wins Final Approval for Increased Flights to China
ATLANTA (AP) -- UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, said Friday it has won final government approval to expand its air operations to and from China.
The Atlanta-based company currently flies from the United States to China 12 times per week and will expand that number to 18 this year.
The company said the U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a final order granting UPS two additional frequencies to Shanghai and one new frequency to Guangzhou, effective next year.
UPS, which hopes to set up a regional air hub in Shanghai, said the extra flights will help allow the company to offer full seven-days-a-week service to Guangzhou and increase capacity to Shanghai on the two busiest days of the week, Thursday and Saturday.
The United States and China negotiated a new bilateral agreement last year that opened the door for expanded aviation rights, something several major passenger airlines have also been courting. In September, UPS, formerly United Parcel Service Inc., announced that it had won tentative approval for expanded flights to and from China.
In February, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. said it had lost a bid to begin making nonstop flights to China. Instead, the government awarded passenger flight rights to several of its competitors.
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