The popularity of high-speed train services between Zhengzhou and Xian has led to the postponement of air services between the two cities just seven weeks after the line opened, reported Xinhua.

Joy Air, one of the airlines offering services on the route, said it had managed to sell an average of 63 per cent of air tickets on the Zhengzhou-Xian daily route until the high-speed railway began operations in February this year.

The 505km railway with a speed of 350 kph was the first high-speed rail line in central and western China. It cut the travel time between the two cities from more than six hours to less than two hours.
This works out much quicker than the 70-minute air journey, taking into account check-in times and connection travel to the city centres.

China’s high-speed railway network will total 13,000km by 2012, according Ministry of Railways plans. By this time, they will impact 60 per cent of China’s domestic air market, according to Liu Chaoyong, general manager of China Eastern Airlines.