Amsterdam, Netherlands, Oct. 16, 2018, Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip.com International (Ctrip) and Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM, oversaw the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between Ctrip and KLM. The agreement represents one of the most significant outcomes of the Netherlands-China Trade and Economic Forum, and a milestone for cooperation in the civil aviation industry under the framework of the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year.
Founded in 1919, KLM is the oldest airline in the world operating under its original name. Air France-KLM Group, its parent company, is one of the most important airlines operating flight routes between China and Europe. Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM, said, “With so many complementary areas across our businesses and supply chains, the partnership with Ctrip has the potential to help us realize significant innovations in areas including customer service, data operations, flight route development, and product marketing. This will help to solidify and grow the Netherlands’ position as the ‘Gateway to Europe’ for Chinese travelers and enterprises.”
Along with the continuous expansion of its global footprint, Ctrip’s international air ticketing business has maintained solid growth momentum, increasing 40% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018. Trip.com, Ctrip Group’s independent international travel brand, also recorded triple-digit growth in air ticket bookings for seven consecutive quarters. The direct booking business of Ctrip’s online travel search platform SkyScanner has seen rapid growth, with an approximately 600% increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2018 as synergies with Ctrip have become increasingly apparent.
Netherlands is known as the “Gateway to Europe”, is the land where China's Belt and Road Initiative starts its way to Europe and is China’s third largest trading partner in the EU. China is also regarded as the most important market in Asia by major European airlines. KLM and Ctrip have many complementary areas across their businesses including business chains, supply chains and value chains. CEO of Ctrip Jane Sun said, “With the great opportunities presented by the EU-China Tourism Year, Ctrip will help more Chinese tourists travel to Europe, broadening horizons and benefiting business partners in the region. We hope Chinese tourists can become a bridge promoting trade cooperation, cultural exchange and people-to-people diplomacy between China and Europe.”