Abacus International, Asia’s leading revenue partner for airlines, has signed a closed agreement to distribute the flights of Juneyao Airlines, a leading business and leisure carrier in China, on its Global Distribution System (GDS).

The deal will see Abacus distribute the content of the airline’s domestic flights, giving Juneyao Airlines the opportunity to sell its flights to more than 20,000 travel agency locations across 24 markets region-wide. As its first foreign GDS partner, Abacus International is well-placed through a strong network and foundation in China and Asia to help drive both international exposure and expansion for Juneyao Airlines.

“In a crowded China aviation and domestic LCC market, we at Juneyao Airlines need a strong partner in Asia Pacific to help in our expansion efforts,” said Mr Mr.  Zhao Hong Liang,  Vice President of Juneyao Airlines. “Abacus International is a perfect fit for our direction of becoming an exceptional, international airline, in sharing the same views and philosophies of providing greater quality and service to our customers, and with its leadership position in Asia, we would be well positioned to excel also beyond China’s borders.”

Juneyao Airlines was recently given approval by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to operate international routes and will operate its first international flight from Pudong (PVG) to Hong Kong (HKG)  from 10th December 2010. It is also looking at routes to Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.  It is only the second Chinese privately-owned carrier to receive such authorization for international routes.

This comes at a period when tourism and travel in China is gaining ground rapidly, at a much higher pace as compared to other markets in Asia and globally. With the world’s second largest economy, largest lease population and a burgeoning middle-class, China also boasts the 4th

highest spenders globally in 2009 (UNWTO) and international passenger traffic volume to increase to 65.5 million by 2013 (IATA).

“Juneyao Airlines has successfully built a strong reputation as a quality airline with great service, appealing especially to business travellers,” said Mr. Ho Hoong Mau, Director, Airline Distribution of Abacus International.

“This presents a unique opportunity for Juneyao Airlines to grow their business, by accessing new markets and building awareness for their brand. Selling flights via the Abacus GDS, with Asia’s most extensive network and leading booking volumes, will help them reach their goals and ultimately contribute to the growth of the China travel sector as a whole.

Mr.  Zhao Hong Liang added, “Since 2006, we have grown steadily and been careful in setting the strategic direction of the company. We want to continue to take the right steps in our expansion efforts, and believe Abacus is the right partner to help take us there.”