High-speed rail to feed Hebei airport (2)

Li Hui, a Beijing resident studying in Hong Kong, cheered when she got back the money she had spent on her train tickets when she left on Feb 17. "I didn't expect to cut more expenses from my travel," the 26-year-old said. "It only costs me about 600 yuan for a trip from here to Hong Kong. It's hard to book tickets at this price in Beijing."

She said she encouraged her parents to visit Hong Kong before the train ticket refund policy expires.

The airport has spent more than 1 million yuan on the project, which doesn't collect money from airlines or the government, said Li, the airport's deputy general manager.

"It's not a small amount of money for our company but a necessary investment for a booming business in the future," he said.

The new railway connecting the airport with Beijing and other major cities persuaded more airline companies to open routes to Shijiazhuang.

"Many foreign airlines didn't get the access to fly to the capital airport, so they turned their focus on Shijiazhuang as a springboard and use the smooth air-rail integration to tap the capital market," Li said.

Far Eastern Air Transport, a Taiwan airline, added new routes connecting Shijiazhuang and Penghu, Taiwan, in 2013.

"We opened two routes in this airport, aiming to attract the larger group of Taiwan businessmen from Beijing," said Evan Teng, Far Eastern's deputy chief representative for the Chinese mainland.

He said more businesspeople from Beijing will consider flights from Shijiazhuang because they can reach the airport in a shorter time. "They may take that much time just to arrive in the (Beijing) airport and it may take a longer time considering the severe traffic jams," he said, "Besides, Beijing residents who want to travel to Taiwan will prefer the choice as well."

The cost of a round trip will be reduced by 800 yuan during the travel off-season, he said.

To offer better service, the airport will build a reception room at the Beijing West Railway Station soon.

Spring Airlines, based in Shanghai and famous for providing cheap flights within China, has opened 11 regular routes and three tour flights during the tourism season, making it one of the three largest bases of the company.

"We have strong confidence about the sales in this airport because of the high-speed railway," airline spokesman Zhang Wu'an told China Daily. "The local market is also growing larger after the economic boom of the province."

The airline also plans to open more routes and increase the capacity of the prosperous airport.