Czech Republic and Sichuan talk direct flight and visas

BEIJING - On the margins of West China International Fair at the end of October in Sichuan a Czech delegation led by the deputy minister of industry and Trade Mr. Milan Hovorka met with relevant representatives of Sichuan government to discuss among other things the possibilities of direct connection between Chengdu and Prague. The advisor to Minister of Foreign Affairs on economic issues Mr. Petr Hyl, who was also part of the delegation to Sichuan confirmed that Czech side is ready to support this process by opening a consulate to facilitate smooth operation of such a route in terms of visas. "Once the airline operator has been found, we will immediately start the necessary process so that the consulate is up and running before the first direct flight to or from Prague is realized". "Czech republic has recently come up with a new simplified procedure for business travellers to Czech Republic across China. Our consulate sections can now effectively manage much more applicants than in the past, both business and leisure travellers ", he added.

Although particularly strong in small and light aircrafts, which was the main topic of Czech Aviation seminar organized in Sichuan on 22nd of October, Czech aviation industry stands ready to assist the Chinese side in other areas of commercial air transport, too. Take pilot training for example. Czech Republic has several pilot schools that are currently looking for partners in China. Some are even capable of providing specialized training for big Chinese airline companies.

Air-traffic management, e.g. flight planning is another area, in which the Czech Republic can cooperate with China more closely with some Czech software companies specialized in this field.

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to China Mr. Secka has highlighted the commercial aviation as one of the field with good prospects for cooperation. "Czech Republic has been supportive of direct connection between China and the Czech republic for many years. Although Czech Airlines originally planned to open direct flights to either Beijing or Shanghai, there is nothing wrong with having a direct flight from Chengdu to Prague instead as a first step. Should there be an interest on Chinese side, it would be actually very symbolic now, when West China is effectively the engine of Chinese economy and a lot of emphasis is put on the development in Western regions. In this sense, direct connection can, in fact, facilitate business, cultural and even political ties between Czech Republic and China and Czech Republic can serve as a valuable platform for Chinese business in Europe and the other way round."

Sourced: TravelDailyNews