Delta to start Shanghai-Detroit flights in June

Delta Air Lines, the world’s largest airline, hassaid it was hopeful that its strong presence in China will help offset the bigger losses in other regions, according to a top corporate executive.

Sandeep Bahl, general manager of Delta Air Lines China, told China Daily on Friday that the company would start the non-stop services from Shanghai to Detroit as scheduled in June, on a daily basis. This will increase Delta’s China flights from three per day to four.

The other three flights are the non-stop service from Shanghai to Atlanta launched in 2008 and the flights to Tokyo from Shanghai and Beijing.

Sandeep Bahl said, ‘The Chinese business has excellent potential for growth and that is why we are adding new flights.’

He added that while the financial crisis does pose difficulties, it also offers excellent opportunities for the Chinese market.

Delta’s China business is still ‘small’ in the global pie and ranks second to Japan in the Asia-Pacific region..

The Delta global network operates more than 600 flights everyday.