In order to alleviate the air traffic rush during the Olympics Games, China has introduced a new route asking aeroplanes now to fly between Europe and some Chinese cities by bypassing Beijing. Now that the new air corridor has been put into place, aeroplanes operating from Europe to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong will no more have to be directed through Beijing.

 

International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief executive, Giovanni Bisignani said that this route will be called the Olympic Bypass. The idea behind introducing the Olympic Bypass route by China is to lessen air traffic delays and congestion. The IATA said that two years of solid negotiations went into finally introducing this air corridor.

 

It further stated that the Olympic Bypass will serve to shorten the distance flights cover by 60 nautical miles (111 kilometres). This way, it will save about 83,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and 26,000 tonnes of fuel each year, the IATA pointed out. This new air route is expected to accommodate around 475 flights every week.