A bow, a happy smile and a warm handshake from everyone. Ye Manlan, a Chinese woman of thirty from Zhejiang, an eastern province on the coast of the People's Republic of China, learned and was pleasantly surprised that she was the passenger that made history at the Leonardo da Vinci airport.
She was welcomed with a toast at her departure gate for the evening flight for Beijing, managed by Air China, by Marco Gobbi, route manager and Marketing Aviation developer for ADR and representatives from the Chinese carrier.
“I am very happy”, she said, with the help of a flight attendant from Air China, the first air carrier to connect Italy and China since 1986. In 2016, the airline will celebrate 30 years on the Italian market. Air China is a Chinese company, one of the few in the world to manage flights to all continents.
“I often fly between Rome and Beijing for business," said the young woman. "I am very pleased with Fiumicino. The airport is well organised and offers many services specifically for satisfying the Chinese clientèle. I believe that Leonardo da Vinci has now become my favourite airport, the place where I arrive, or where I leave Italy for China," she said.
“A comment about traffic," said Marco Gobbi, "the Fiumicino airport has grown about +5% compared to 2014. In 2015, 50 new flights were started, 12 of which were intercontinental, for a total of 20 new destinations that passengers can reach directly from the Roman airport."
Leonardo da Vinci is the first airport in the world to be officially accredited as a "Welcome Chinese Airport", a certification that attests its conformity to welcoming requirements defined by the China Tourism Academy.
Up to now, 30 direct flights connect Fiumicino with Greater China each week: 6 carriers fly to 7 different destinations in China, in addition to Hong Kong and Taiwan. The airport thus confirms its position as the first airport in Europe, along with Charles De Gaulle in Paris, for the number of Chinese cities served, and the only airport in the European Union to accommodate all main Chinese carriers. This record ensures direct access from Rome to all the main Chinese cities, and confirms the leadership of Fiumicino in this market segment, not to mention the attractiveness of Rome and its airport for passengers arriving from eastern Asia."