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BY LISA BROWN AND TIM LOGAN • lbrown@post-dispatch.com tlogan@post-dispatch.com >314-340-8127 314-340-8291 www.STLtoday.com | Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 10:03 am
The region’s three-year push to land a Chinese cargo hub at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport took big step forward Wednesday morning when that nation’s aviation authority named an airline to negotiate flights.
China Eastern will begin talks with Lambert about regularly scheduled flights from Pudong, to begin in the first half of this year, said Mike Jones, chairman of the Midwest China Hub Commission. A team from the airline is planning to visit St. Louis next month.
The decision, by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, does not directly lead to flights – negotiations could yet stall. But, after three years of talks between St. Louis-area business and civic leaders and the Chinese government, it is a clear breakthrough, Jones said.
“This has been a long process, but we anticipate it will be relatively short negotiations,” Jones said. “Basically, this is the kind of breakthrough moment we’ve been working towards.”
The news comes sooner than expected. As recently as Tuesday, Jones said he expected word to come after Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the U.S. But it is quite welcome, he said.
“Now the real work begins,” said Jones.
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China will begin cargo flights to Lambert St. Louis International Airport, according to Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in a Twitter message this morning. The senator said the flights will boost opportunities for Midwest agriculture and manufacturing.
The China cargo flights were also confirmed independently by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
St. Louis has been courting cargo flights at Lambert for several years. At the end of 2010, a delegation of St. Louis area executives and officials, including McCaskill and former Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo.) traveled to China to meet with Chinese airlines and aviation officials about launching the hub.
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