Chinese airline reps headed to St. Louis
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
October 29, 2010
By Steve Giegerich
The prospect of a major Chinese cargo hub setting up operations at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport will inch ever closer this weekend when representatives of Chinese airlines arrive for an inspection of the facility and the infrastructure that supports it.
"I wouldn't say it's the Final Four," said Midwest China Hub Commission co-chairman Mike Jones, a self-professed college basketball junkie. "But it's definitely the regional finals. From my perspective, this is the most important meeting we've had in the 2 1/2 to 3 years I've been doing this."
Representatives of at least four Chinese carriers are expected to participate in the next phase of the negotiations with airport authorities scheduled to begin Sunday.
Hub officials have previously held talks with Air China, China Eastern, Jade Cargo International and Hainan Airlines.
The Chinese delegation, accompanied by officials of the country's Civilian Aviation Administration, will also meet with Missouri Department of Transportation officials to discuss ground transportation and other issues involving infrastructure, as well as area freight haulers and 'significant other business interests" that Jones said he was not at liberty to disclose.
Jones said the airline representatives may well leave St. Louis with a firm idea of which carriers will pursue an agreement to use Lambert as a base to route freight to and from China.
Next week's meetings differ from previous conversations about the hub, Jones added, in that the Chinese initiated the coming round of discussions.
"They are coming to St. Louis to kick the tires and physically assess Lambert," he said. "This is where the rubber meets the road."
