All Nippon Airways Co, Asia's second- largest carrier, said it will restore normal services between Japan and China after the Japanese foreign ministry lifted its advisory against travel to Beijing.
All Nippon will resume operating all of its 14 weekly flights between Tokyo's main international airport at Narita and Beijing starting July 11, company spokesman Shigeki Yoshihara said. The airline had halved services on the route after the outbreak of SARS in the Chinese capital.
The airline will also resume all seven of its suspended weekly flights between Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Beijing starting July 11, Yoshihara said.
On the Narita-Dalian route, where the company had halved operations, the company will also restore the full six flights per week.
The Japanese government lifted its advisory against traveling to China after the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday dropped its two-month old warning against visiting Beijing. The Chinese capital had the world's worst record for SARS infections, with 191 reported deaths, or almost a quarter of fatalities worldwide.
All Nippon said it's maintaining its suspension of flights between Kansai and Singapore, and between Narita and Taipei.
Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Hong Kong's largest carrier, carried about 19,000 passengers last Sunday, up from 11,000 in early June and about 6,000 on several days in May, said spokeswoman Lisa Wong.
``The number of passengers has increased, but it's still below the 35,000 we carry at normal times,'' Wong said. ``The yield from these passengers is very low because of the special offers we launched.'' Cathay, which cut its flight schedule by as much as 47 percent after SARS broke out, plans to resume a full schedule by the end of September.
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