China Newswire

Korean Air Increases Flights To Summer Destinations

englisheditor — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:40:59 +0000

Seoul, Korea (April 22, 2008) /China Newswire/ — Entering the summer season in the northern hemisphere, Korean Air is gearing up for another busy season by resuming suspended flights and operating charter flights to popular summer destinations.

Between July 24 and August 31, Korean Air provides two-weekly charters to the port city of Danang, Vietnam (DAD), on the coast of the South China Sea, leaving Incheon International Airport on Thursdays and Sundays. Da Nang is one of major cities of Viet Nam located near UNESCO World Heritage sites including the Hué Mountains, Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary.

Korean Air will also offer 12 charter flights to the tropical city of Cairns, Australia (CNS). Flights will operate on Mondays and Fridays between July 24 and August 25, using an Airbus 330 aircraft. The city's proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, makes it a popular destination. The city contains hundreds of hotels, resorts, motels and backpackers hostels. Activities in the region include golf, white water rafting, snorkeling, diving and hiking.

Resumed charter flights to Tuxin, China (TXN) will connect travelers to the Huangshan Mountains, which was the scene of the Oscar-winning film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Huangshan has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 for its exceptional natural beauty and its role as a habitat for rare and threatened species. A Boeing 737 aircraft will be used to fly twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from April 25 to October. Korean Air will also operate another Chinese city, Mudanjiang (MDG) every Saturday beginning in May.

The Siberian city of Irkutsk, Russia (IKT), famous for Lake Baykal, the deepest lake in the world also known as the “Blue Eye of Siberia,” will be available to passengers in July and August, through seven charter flights in cooperation with Siberian Airlines (S7) using a Boeing 737.

In addition to these charters, in April, Korean Air will resume scheduled flights to Urumqi, China (URC) and St. Petersburg, Russia (LED) that had been suspended during the slow winter season.

Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, was an important town on the northern route of the Silk Road and is currently a major industrial, cultural and economic center of western China. Resumed flights will connect Urumqi and Incheon three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April 24 to October 25 using a Boeing 737 aircraft.

Korean Air was the first airline to operate St. Petersburg, the second largest city of Russia. Beginning April 26, it will resume thrice-weekly flights (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) with an Airbus 330. A major transport hub, Saint Petersburg is sometimes referred to in Russia as "the Northern Capital" and is known as the city of palaces. The White Nights Festival, an annual international cultural event, and the Hermitage Museum, one of the largest museums in the world, lure travelers to this northern city.

Focused on providing service that meets the ever-changing needs of its customers, Korean Air's network is continuously growing, for passengers to enjoy more options and greater flexibility when traveling.

About Korean Air
Korean Air was named the Best First/Business Class Airline and the Best Frequent Flyer Program in TIME Readers' Travel Choice Awards 2006. In April and July 2007 respectively, the carrier was named the Best Economy Class in the OAG Airline of the Year Awards and the Skytrax 2006/7 World Airline Awards. In September 2007, Korean Air won top honors in the World Airline Entertainment Association's (WAEA) 2007 Avion Awards. It has been named Best Airline in Asia and Best Transpacific Business Class by Business Traveler magazine's readers in the publication's 2007 Readers' Choice Travel Survey. In addition, the readers of PAX International magazine honored Korean Air with the Global Travel Catering Distinction Award.

Korean Air, with a fleet of 126 aircraft, is one of the world's top 20 airlines, and operates almost 400 passenger flights per day to 115 cities in 37 countries. It is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airlines alliance - partnering Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM and Northwest Airlines to provide customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. More on Korean Air's programs, routes, frequency and partners is available at www.koreanair.com.

Technorati Tags:
Korean Air | Increases Flights To Summer Destinations

Creating 'Safe Mobility' and HIV Prevention in northern China

englisheditor — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:33:54 +0000

UNDP and NPFPC work together to reduce the risk of HIV among mobile populations and cross border communities

Beijing, China (February 29, 2008) /China Newswire/ — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) have launched an innovative programme to reduce the risk of HIV along China's northern border.

The'Safe Mobility and HIV Prevention in Northern China' project aims to strengthened local community's capacity to respond to AIDS through local leader education; life skills training for potential and returning cross border migrants; community-based AIDS prevention and education activities among, entertainment workers and students; and sustained media campaigns to reinforce key AIDS education and anti-stigma messages among the general public.

"Mobility and HIV are closely inter-related and this relationship has a negative impact on human development," stated Renaud Meyer, UNDP Deputy Country Director in China. "It is noted that HIV prevalence along China's northern border areas is'low', however, an explosion in cross-border trade, tourism and work opportunities presents an ever-increasing risk to future HIV rates."

Cross-border migration and population mobility continue to accelerate due to increased economic cooperation and burgeoning opportunities. However, there are few dedicated'migrant friendly' support services, especially along the remote border areas which serve as initial entry points into larger cities both in China and neighboring countries.

"This project is very timely in the national context of providing services, managing and resolving issues relating to population, especially in the context of HIV and the floating population," said Mme Ru Xiaomei, Deputy Director General of the National Population and Family Planning Commission. "We hope to gain better ideas and measures through this project to help family planning system to provide better public services."

Leaving social safety nets and security behind, lacking skills, information or language necessary for protection, and with limited ability to access health and information services, migrant and mobile populations represent a serious challenge to the future success in combating the spread of HIV.

As a key component of the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (2007-2010) in China's efforts to strengthen the local government and community's capacity to respond to the epidemic, this three-year programme will be implemented in four major border crossings and their surrounding communities, including Heihe (Heilongjiang Province), Yanji (Jilin Province), Erenhot (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) and Huo'erguosi (Xinjiang Autonomous Region).

"The vulnerability of China's mobile population to HIV infection is emphasized by legal and social constraints they encounter as they travel and work outside their home towns and across national borders," said Edmund Settle, UNDP HIV/AIDS Programme Specialist in China.

"Furthermore, the economic and social hardships that originally push both male and female workers to migrate only enhance their vulnerability to HIV," he added.

This programme builds on and increases the geographic coverage of the previous UNDP'Regional Empowerment and Action to Contain HIV/AIDS (REACH) Beyond Borders (2003-2005)' pilot initiative implemented by NPFPC in northeast China.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Edmund Settle
HIV/AIDS Programme Specialist, UNDP China
(86-10) 8532-0775 or edmund.settle@undp.org

Technorati Tags:
UNDP | NPFPC | Safe Mobility | HIV Prevention

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