FlightEngine.com targets eastern promise

Tuesday 29 January 2008

Flight Search Technology

A leading online travel agent (OTA) is to make huge investments in the Chinese market this year in a bid to increase its air ticket sales.

FlightEngine.com is currently working on a Chinese language website which will offer local users with domestic flight booking options, while planning on an overall spend of $5.79 million (£2.9 million) as it focuses on the Chinese market.

The OTA will up its attempts to market flight bookings from the mainland – and claimed that turnover of up to 200 million (£17.5 million) could be yielded from flight sales in China by the end of 2008.

Ramon Dwarkasing, general manager of the firm said: "Our biggest advantages lie in four simple elements: safe, simple, reliable and cheap."

Focusing on the Chinese market could become the norm rather than the exception in coming years, after it was revealed this week that plans were being devised for the construction of 97 new airports in the country by 2020.

The populous Asian nation has seen its aviation industry dogged by delays at Beijing Airport and elsewhere, but China will hope to showcase its improving air travel links at this summer's Olympic Games.