Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways have launched formal bids to operate new services to China, which will become available as a result of the expanded aviation agreement with theUS signed last month.

The US Department of Transportation will award six new routes between 2007 and 2009. Continental has applied to operate a daily Newark-Shanghai 777 service starting in the spring of 2009. The carrier currently fl ies to Beijing from Newark.

Delta, which in January applied to serve Shanghai from Atlanta next year, has expanded its application to also include a daily fl ight to Beijing. It plans wto 777s on the routes. NWA aims to serve both Beijing and Shanghai from Detroit. It will use 747-400s if selected to operate to Shanghai this year and 787s to Shanghai and Beijing if it receives authority for service in 2009. The airline currently operates services to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou from Tokyo Narita.

US Airways already has applied to operate a Philadelphia-Shanghai service in 2008 and expanded its application to include a daily Philadelphia- Beijing service in March 2009 with A340 equipment.