BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Star Alliance, the global network of passenger airlines, operated weekly 558 flights taking off from China by the end of May this year, according to a source of the alliance.
Currently, ten of its member airlines operate non-stop flights from more than 20 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Among these airline companies, Asiana operates 161 weekly non-stop flights from China to South Korea, ranking the first among the 10 companies. All Nippon Airways operates 154 flights, ranking the second.
Star Alliance has predicted that more than 137 million businesspeople and travelers will visit China by 2020, accounting for 8.6 percent of the global share.
Fueled by China's robust economy, the Star Alliance sees an ever expanding market in Chinese enterprises, whose needs for business travel by air are rising, an official with the company said.
Two of China's largest air carriers, Air China and Shanghai Airlines will join the alliance this year, according to the Alliance.
Established in 1997, the Star Alliance is world's first and largest aviation alliance, with 17 members operating up to 16,000 daily flights in 155 countries.