Dallas-Fort Worth Int'l Airport allies with Shanghai Airport

Oct. 31, 2008 (China Knowledge) - Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Shanghai Airport Authority (SAA) has signed a cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) on an alliance relationship, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The tie-up is also expected to facilitate the launch of direct flights between local airports and DFW, according to the report.

The business alliance would enhance cooperation in various aspects of air hub maintenance, said officials with SAA, the operator of the Shanghai's two civil airports, adding that SAA is planning to launch further exchanges and cooperation in marketing, personnel training and management for an air hub with multiple runways and terminal buildings with DFW.

Last year, Shanghai airports handled 51.55 million passengers and a cargo turnover of 2.56 million tons, which doubled the figure of both passengers and cargo tonnage in 2002.

The Shanghai airports hope to improve its air transport capacity and service to support the economic development in the Yangtze River Delta Region.

DFW, the second-largest airport by land area in the U.S., hosts five terminal buildings and seven runways. It handled approximately 685,000 flights and about 60 million passengers in 2007.