China's Hainan Airlines has become Hungary's chartered carrier for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in a deal signed Friday with the Hungarian Olympic Committee.

 

Hainan Airlines' representative in Hungary Zhao Kai said at the signing ceremony at Budapest airport that the move was not only a commercial deal, but also a way to promote friendship between the two peoples and enhance exchanges between the two countries.

 

Hungarian Olympic Committee President Schmitt Pal said the deal offered Hungarian athletes, officials and tourists a glimpse of China before they even arrived in Beijing, as the flights would feature Chinese cuisine and music.

 

Hainan Airlines provided a charter service for Hungarians for events during the "Hungary Year" in China in September as well as the Special Olympics held in Shanghai in October.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2007)