Beijing – The entry of OAG (Official Airline Guides) into China, where it opened an office in the capital in February, will be followed by the launch of integrated and improved dual-language tools by the end of the year.

OAG plans to launch, by the end of the year, an English/Chinese online travel planning product with information on flight schedules, seat availability and status to complement its 10,000 print copies of its bilingual flight guide.

Vice-president Asia-Pacific, Mr Fred Seow, said the China National Tourism Administration was supporting OAG by providing additional travel information on events.

Chairman, Mr Eddie Bell, who was in Beijing for the OAG/BTN China and partners roadshow, acknowledged the explosion of international business and leisure travel from China, but admitted it was a huge and complicated market.

“We are excited, but will expand cautiously,” he said. “OAG is sharing its expertise and knowledge with companies such as TravelSky Technology, China’s global distribution system, and Air China. And if I look forward five years, China could be our number one market and we could be looking at producing products exclusively for it.”

One of OAG’s priorities is to find a publishing partner in China, which is key for its flight guides, he said.

“Second, we want to strengthen our relationship with the Chinese airlines after the restructuring and consolidation of its CRS (computer reservations system).

“Third, to work with the corporate travel market, the hotels, car rental companies, travel management companies, etc.”

With the rapid development of mobile technology, OAG is also planning a soft launch of a PDA (personal digital assistant) service, offering information on 140,000 flights and 50,000 flight connections, called OAG Flight Finder.

“OAG is investing many millions in the new technology platform and can develop new products very quickly. We can customise the product for the airlines, airports, tourist offices, etc. We have already done it for Swiss (Air Lines) and we are talking to service providers in China about content,” Mr Bell said.

Commenting on the mushrooming of low-cost carriers (LCC) in the region, Mr Bell said the model was here to stay and OAG was the “only consolidator” carrying their schedules, including AirAsia and Valuair. “They have to get the business model and cost model right, and understanding why passengers fly with them is key,” he said.