Another step in our efforts to establish a hub in Madrid to Latin America and the Caribbean, Ma Guodong, general director of Air China for Europe, noted.
At the threshold of exit gate B29 of terminal 1 of Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez airport, a musical group enlivened the event with emblematic Cuban songs, and the journey crew itself exchanged with managers and diplomats before departure.
Ma Guodong pointed out that Air China, which a month ago opened the Madrid-Sao Paulo section with the same purposes, to open the Latin American diapason from the Far East, currently has 452 air routes, covering 64 cities, 43 regions and countries, and will incorporate 36 other cities within the Silk Road soon.
Cuban Ambassador to Spain Marcelino Medina praised the “excellent and special relations between his country and China, and pointed out that next year’s International Tourism Fair in Havana will be dedicated to China.
He noted the recent decision by the Cuban Government to exempt Chinese citizens from visas, and pointed out that this and other initiatives in both directions, such as the two weekly Air China flights to Havana, will have successful repercussions in a short term.
We also see it as a significant contribution to continue to strengthen the existing traditional relationship of friendship and cooperation, the diplomat commented.
Medina stated that in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, 45,000 Chinese holidaymakers traveled to Cuba. The route then was through Canada, but everything stopped as a result of disease.
We have the perception that Air China’s determination to transit through Madrid will be very well received, with a multiplying effect.
Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing, in turn, applauded the idea of his country’s flag airline to promote the Latin American and Caribbean market, as endorsed in the destinations of Brazil first, and now Cuba.
Meanwhile, Mario Otero, general director of Madrid’s airport, expressed gratitude for trusting the Spanish capital to be a hub from Asia to Europe and Latin America.
This route is exactly what we want to be, the great node that connects our two continents and opens the way to routes in Latin America, Otero added.
The inaugural flight left Beijing on Thursday, making a stopover in Madrid on Friday to continue to Havana, Air China’s great bet.
Niurka Pérez Denis, Cuba’s Tourism advisor for Spain and Portugal, told Prensa Latina that the visa exemption for Chinese citizens expands the prospects of turning Cuba into a relevant destination for China.
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