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Shenzhen’s brand new airport already leaking

Posted: 12/18/2013 10:00 am

Shenzhen’s new airport terminal, which grabbed headlines with its futuristic design, suffered water leaks yesterday just weeks after opening due to recent heavy rains. Buckets had to be placed on the floor to prevent flooding, South China Morning Post reports.

The paper has more:

Unhappy travellers took to China’s social media platform to complain on Sunday night, blaming the thousands of hexagonal skylight windows on the ceiling of the departure lounge. They said they not only brought in sunshine, but also the rain.

“What is this ‘honeycomb’ for? Thank God it’s not the typhoon season. Hours of raining have already created quite a few leaks,” a passenger from Shenzhen posted on Monday morning.

Not so state of the art after all, image courtesy of Sina Weibo

Studio Fuksas, the Italian company that designed it, that there had been leaking problems during the testing process, but they had been solved.

Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po reported that leaking also happened in the parking lot and bus terminals. The leaking and poor working environment have even caused strikes at the air cargo department which have been causing delays since Sunday night.

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Check out these photos of Shenzhen’s futuristic new airport terminal

Posted: 11/1/2013 11:00 am

The new terminal C at Shenzhen Bao’an Airport will open on November 28. Shenzhen Daily says 83,000 passengers are expected on the first day.

The airport will close at 10 p.m. on November 27 as final preparations are made for the opening of the new terminal which will be more than twice the size of terminals A and B combined.

Metro Line 11, the future airport express line, couldn’t be finished in time for the opening of the new terminal.

Metro riders who take the Luobao Line to the airport will need to take free shuttle buses to the terminal’s General Transportation Center after they get off the Metro at Airport East Station. The shuttle trip takes about 30 minutes, airport authorities said.

The new terminal’s Wi-Fi system will be able to handle simultaneous use by up to 3,000 people.

Here are some images of the new terminal, courtesy of Gizmodo:

The interior of the terminal, which was designed by Italian company Fuksas

The gateway is designed to look like a manta ray and stretches for almost 1.5 km.

Natural light pierces through the honeycomb design on the roof

The supporting columns of the interior are designed to give the place the feel of a cathedral

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Guangzhou, Shenzhen airports affected as 10 bomb hoaxes cause flight chaos

Posted: 05/20/2013 7:00 am

After five Shenzhen-bound flights were grounded due to bomb threats on May 15, the curse of such threats continued to plague the country on May 17 when over ten flights were grounded, including ones from Guangzhou and ones destined for Shenzhen Nandu Daily reports.

Courtesy of Southern Metropolis Daily

Unlike previous bomb threats made by phone, the caller did not specify the flight numbers of the planes targeted, which complicated things even further. On the night of the chaos, media reported that a suspect had been arrested, but airport security later said they hadn’t yet found a suspect.

The first such threat came at 3 p.m. when a threat was made on flights going from Guangzhou to Shanghai. Because no specific flight number had been given, one flight had to divert to Fuzhou, and another had to return to Guangzhou Baiyun airport.

The chaos continued and mostly involved flights from Chongqing and Guangzhou to a variety of cities, including Shenzhen. Four airlines were affected.

Planes were searched for bombs, but none were found.

Whoever does get caught is in big trouble. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, spreading false terrorist information brings a minimum five year sentence, in accordance with the provisions of section 291 of the Penal Code. If the consequences of this unfunny practical joke prove to be “serious,” then he or she could face a 15 year sentence.

Haohao
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Train arriving soon: Shenzhen to Xiamen’s sandy beaches in just 3 hours

Posted: 02/22/2013 2:10 pm

A weekend getaway to sand and sea (and maybe sunshine) without having to fight queues at airport security will soon be possible.

A new coast-to-coast high-speed rail link shuttling passengers between Shenzhen and Xiamen in Fujian province in just three hours will launch this coming September.

The new 20-stop route will skirt along several major cities along the way, including Huizhou. The line will be a big boost to for travellers.  Shenzhen is a go-to destination for business while Xiamen is popular for its sandy beaches and surrounding views. It’s often seen as an alternative to the hotspot of Hainan Island.

All of this will be possible when trains begin departing from Shenzhen North Station, slashing the existing train time from a whopping 15 hours.

Life of Guangzhou believes the price of a first class ticket between Shenzhen North and Xiamen will be 190 yuan and a standard class fare will be 160 yuan one-way.

In the battle for passengers between airlines and railways (as we reported a few days ago), this new front will put pressure on Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern and it’s subsidiary Xiamen Air, who all fly out of Bao’an Airport. Prices could well be set for a downward trend.

The latest check on September one-way airfares with eLong.com show tickets selling for 550 yuan before taxes and other fees.

Here is the station list calling at:
Guangdong province (广东省)
Shenzhen North (圳北站) – Pingshan (坪山) – Huizhou South (惠南)- Huizhou East (惠东) – Houmen (鲘门) – Shanwei (汕尾) – Lufeng (陆丰) – Kuitan (葵潭) – Puning (普宁) – Chaoyang (潮阳) – Chaoshan (潮汕) – Raoping (饶平)

Fujian province (福建省)
Zhaoan (诏安) – Yunxiao (云霄) – Zhangpu (漳浦) – Yangkui (杨奎) – Zhangzhou South (漳州南) – Jiaomei (角美) – Qianchang (前场) – Xiamen North (厦门北).

Station list: Life of Guangzhou

Image: Danny Lee

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Shenzhen Airlines’ ‘Star’ turn, Beijing to seize control of Cathay?

Posted: 11/30/2012 7:57 am

In the latest round up of aviation news in the Pearl River Delta, Shenzhen Airlines brings more competition to the tarmac in their new alliance move while Swire’s support of Cathay could fall away if Air China pays a hefty price.

Stars align for Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines, China’s fourth largest carrier, has been handed a “win-win” boost after being accepted into one of global aviation ‘big three’ alliances.

The move opens up more of the Pearl River Delta as passengers fly to and from China and beyond.

Following parent company Air China, the southern China-based carrier joins Star Alliance, bringing more than 400 flights and 70 destinations to the network.

As reported by WCARN.com, Star CEO Mark Schwab said:

Shenzhen Airlines is China’s fifth largest carrier and strengthens the Star Alliance presence in China and across Asia. Our customers now benefit from improved access throughout the economically important Pearl River Delta and across southern China. At the same time, Shenzhen Airlines gains access to a global network with enhanced benefits for its passengers; truly a win-win situation.

This is good news for the legions of international travelers based in Shenzhen, as the can earn frequent flier miles more easily and reach more destinations with less hassle.

The move also brings Shenzhen in line with the rest of the PRD airports. China Southern and SkyTeam have an iron grip on Guangzhou Baiyun while Cathay Pacific and the Oneworld alliance dominate Hong Kong.

Beijing to seize control of Cathay?
CAPA has a must-read piece on the future ownership of Cathay Pacific. Could Swire, its largest shareholder, be prepared to sell its holding – at the right price – to Air China, which already owns 29.9% of Hong Kong’s flagship carrier?

Here’s what CAPA has to say:

An Air China takeover would be deeply political, and is seemingly not a question of if but when, how and what the competitive response is. Cathay expects Air China’s stake to increase, but Cathay’s board 
must first approve a takeover, which is not expected in the short term. The mood from Swire, Cathay’s largest shareholder (42%) and source 
of senior management – and almost its entire culture – is a firm commitment to Cathay and aviation in greater China but also seems to be that it will sell, but for a premium. As for accepting a takeover, the time may come when Cathay and Swire know that not cooperating with Beijing will yield unfavourable outcomes, as Hong Kong edges closer to becoming more fully a part of China.

It has to be said any takeover bid would be deeply controversial and stoke growing anti-mainland sentiment in the SAR.

Nevertheless, within the ‘big three’ alliances shaking-up their offerings at the moment, a takeover could lead to wider changes in the Delta.

 

Haohao
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Diaoyu dispute forces Chinese airlines to cut service to Japan

Posted: 11/5/2012 11:00 am

China Southern Airlines is axing 22 Japanese flights and scaling back capacity on other routes in and out of the country during the winter months, a move largely seen as a result of reduced demand for flights to Japan amid the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute.

Airline Route is reporting services from Changchun, Dalian, Guangzhou, Harbin and Shenyang are being reduced, affecting flights to Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo Narita and Toyama.

Dalian is the worst hit, losing 14 flights.

The Centre for Aviation (CAPA) revealed one-way seat capacity between China and Japan has fallen to its lowest level since 2004. Capacity for October was down 9 per cent year-on-year.

Other plans to boost capacity have also been shelved, affecting the second daily Guangzhou-Osaka Kansai service.

The 174-seat Airbus A321 will continue to serve the route, replacing the 374-seat Boeing 777-200 for the time being, representing a near 110% cut in seat availability. CSA has also removed 120 seats from its daily Guangzhou-Tokyo Narita service, replacing its Airbus A330-200 with a Boeing 737-800.

Airspace reform urged
The Comprehensive Transport Institute is calling for reform of China’s airspace and expanding its use for civilian aviation.

The group is warning congestion will come to a head once Guangzhou’s new runway opens, combined with a third runway being considered in Hong Kong.

China Daily carry this self-evident line describing the situation:

The region’s sky has been so severely congested that the International Air Transport Association has said that the situation in the Pearl River Delta is one of the top three global air traffic control problems.

With more flights connecting six PRD airports (Foshan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Zhuhai) to the rest of Asia and the world, experts are questioning how much more the region can take with such little approved airspace available.

Passenger improvements for Baiyun Airport
Life of Guangzhou is reporting airport management at Baiyun Airport will invest RMB4 million into passenger improvements at Baiyun Airport.

Some ideas include a smartphone app for better on-the-move information in the hands of passengers.

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Guy who called in bomb threat to Shenzhen Airlines arrested

Posted: 09/4/2012 7:00 am

Police have arrested a man they believe made a hoax bomb threat last Tuesday which forced a Shenzhen Airlines flight out of the sky.

Flight ZH 9706 took off from Xiangyang Airport in Hubei heading for Shenzhen Bao’an Airport, but made an emergency landing in Wuhan after receiving a “threatening message”.

Needless to say, after a thorough search, no explosives were found and police immediately began investigating the case.

That investigation didn’t take long, as a 29-year-old suspect, Xiong Yi, confessed to making a rogue phone call and was apprehended in a Dongguan hotel.  He was subsequently hauled up to Wuhan yesterday.

China Daily has this:

Huang Tingsong, a spokesman for Hubei’s public security department, said Xiong is from Shiyan in the province and does business in Guangdong. He has confessed that he fabricated the bomb story and made the threatening call, according to the Xinhua report.

On Sunday morning, Xiong told reporters waiting at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport that he made the hoax call, adding that he regretted doing it.

Xie Yong, director of public security at the Wuhan airport, was quoted by China National Radio as saying that wrongdoers in such cases face criminal and civic liability.

The bomb hoax became a pressing issue after an Air China flight bound for New York made a u-turn back for Beijing after receiving a ‘threatening message’ only a day before.

Earlier in July, a more serious incident occurred after a hijacking was thwarted in Xinjiang in which six ethnic Uyghur men tried to seize control but were overcome by passengers and crew.

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