China, Switzerland sign aviation agreement

China and Switzerland signed an agreement to expand their existing bilateral aviation agreement by allowing direct flights between the two countries this year and in 2008. The negotiation was held in Bern, where both parties agreed on a new air transport agreement. Vice Director Liu Fang of the International Cooperation Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and Director Marshall of the Aviation Policy and Strategy Department of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation of Switzerland signed the agreement. Under the agreement, Hainan Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines will open direct flights between the two countries in 2007 and 2008. In 1975, Swiss Airlines opened the Zurich-Beijing-Shanghai flight. In 2001, the company went bankrupt and was restructured. In 2003, the airline dropped its scheduled flights to Beijing and Shanghai. The CAAC opened the Beijing-Zurich air route in 1978, but canceled it in 1999.