Air China hosts Sino-African kids camp

Airline provided flights and taught children piloting and operations

Eighty children from African countries and southern China explored the life of pilots and flight attendants at Air China Ltd's Beijing headquarters on Monday.

The children, mostly from AIDS-affected areas like South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe, as well as the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Hunan and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, arrived in the Chinese capital for the first time in their lives, thanks to a China-initiated philanthropic program Love in the Sunshine - the 2016 China-Africa Children Summer Camp, which started on July 29.

Air China provided the youngsters with free flights and services both in the air and on the ground. The national flight company opened its Beijing base to the children for a whole day, with pilots and flight attendants giving them beginners' training on board advanced planes regarding how to fly a big aircraft and best serve passengers.

Aside from routine guides, the children also honed challenging skills such as how to accomplish an emergency evacuation and safely organize passengers to leave an aircraft when it lands on water.

Two team members from Africa had their birthdays celebrated the Chinese way on the evening party of the closing ceremony on Monday. Air China staff cooked them traditional Chinese longevity noodles, called changshoumian, which are associated with good wishes for a long and healthy life.

The annual summer camp program was initiated in 2010 by the Chinese Association of STD and AIDS Prevention and Control. This year's tour was reportedly the first with children from Africa taking part.

Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping and the World Health Organization's goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, addressed the opening ceremony of the camp.

"Like the healthy, children suffering or affected by AIDS are the world's future, and regardless of their HIV status, nationality and color, they deserve care, support and a happy childhood," Peng said at the Palace Museum, or Forbidden City, in Beijing on July 29.

Air China, together with the China Children and Teenagers' Fund, also co-sponsored the establishment of the Children's Insurance Special Fund to promote the healthy development of children and adolescents in China.

Air China is China's national flag carrier and a member of the world's largest airline network, the Star Alliance. It was also the airline partner of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

As a Chinese carrier with the highest brand value in China's airlines industry, Air China's brand value reached 101.536 billion yuan ($15.25 billion) in 2015, according to the World Brand Lab.

Air China is in a leading position in China in terms of passenger transportation, cargo transportation and related services.

The company provides exclusive special flight services for Chinese national leaders during their foreign trips, and foreign leaders and government officials visiting China.

From 2007 to 2015, Air China was featured on the Top 500 Global Brands list, as the only Chinese carrier ever on the list. In June 2015, Air China took the 23rd spot on the World Brands 500 rankings released by the World Brand Lab.

By the end of June, Air China had a fleet of 590 passenger aircraft and freighters. It operates 377 routes, including 98 international routes, 16 regional routes and 263 domestic routes.

It serves 173 cities in 39 countries and regions. By working with other member carriers of the Star Alliance, Air China offers access to 1,330 destinations in 192 countries.

chenmengwei@chinadaily.com.cn