Sichuan Airlines' crew mark their inaugural flight to YVR
Richard Lee, MLA & Blair Lekstrom, B.C.'s Minister of Transportation & Infrastructure receive a model plane from Sichuan Airlines' Chairman, Lan Xinguo
Larry Berg, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority; Ed Fast, Federal Minister of International Trade & Minister the Asia-Pacific Gateway; Blair Lekstrom, B.C.'s Minister of Transportation & Infrastructure; Liu Fei, Consul General, People's Republic of China in Vancouver & Lan Xinguo, Chairman, Sichuan Airlines
The inaugural flight receives a traditional water cannon salute
Mention Sichuan and panda bears come to mind. Now, Canadians on the west coast have a direct route to see these amazing creatures via 3U's new 3 times weekly service from YVR.
On Friday, Canadian federal and provincial officials, plus Chinese consulate staff were on hand to welcome the inaugural flight, which was slightly delayed over an hour. Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway said, “The launch of this service is yet another testament to the deepening Canada-China partnership – a growing relationship that is benefitting people in both countries.” YVR is the only North American airport with a direct link to Sichuan province.
3U is headquartered in Chengdu, the province's capital, an important commercial centre in western China. The province is home to 100 million people, providing an important economic connection for B.C. “Sichuan's choice to land at YVR shows how B.C.'s airport is the gateway of choice between North America and Asia,” said Larry Berg, President & CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority. This new service is expected to generate 320 jobs in B.C.'s tourism industry and contribute $16 million into the economy yearly.
This new service comes at a timely moment as demand for air travel from China continues to grow. Last year, seat capacity between China and Canada increased by 30% and year-to-date figures ending in May showed that over 500,000 pax from China came through YVR. Using an A330, the 3U turnaround flights will operate on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, landing in YVR at 8:20 a.m. and departing at 10:20 a.m. The route includes a stopover in the north-eastern city of Shenyang.
When it was the Chairman of the airline, Lan Xinguo's turn to speak, he did something quite unusual – he introduced the crew that operated the flight from the pilots to the cabin crew, who were brightly uniformed in red cheongsam dresses.
Lan gushed over the fact that the flight left China in the morning and arrived in Vancouver in the morning as well. “We flew with the sunlight,” he said. “This can be called the beautiful sunlight route.”
Besides the panda bears, I bet you only identified Sichuan with its spicy food!
