Wuhan slated as new int’l airline hub

Wuhan (CNS) -- Wuhan launched its first international air route to Paris on Thursday. In the following months more connections will be established between this central Chinese city and 10 other foreign spots, CNS reported on Thursday.

The first direct route between Wuhan and Singapore will open in late April.

The China Southern Airlines (CSA) facilitated the chartered airplane service on the Wuhan-Osaka and Wuhan-Shizuoka lines in late March, and will gradually develop scheduled flights on the routes. Moreover, CSA is planning to create flights from Wuhan to Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore and Da Nang, and resume lines from Wuhan to Cheju and Phuket.

China Eastern Airlines and the Air China are also covetously eyeing Wuhan's huge market potential.

By 2015, Wuhan will be directly linked to 20 foreign cities, and that number will double by 2030, making it one of China's most significant inland airline hubs, according to the city authority.