Air travel hard hit by rising oil price

SHANGHAI: Rising international airfares, mainly due to escalating fuel prices, are forcing big businesses to cut down on executive travel and small ones to cancel all overseas trips.

Lang Junxiong, owner of a small manufacturing company in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, said he used to fly to Europe five or six times a year to meet buyers or attend trade fairs. "However, since the beginning of this year, I have been talking to my customers mainly on the phone to save money," Lang, boss of Langshi Industry and Trade, said.

His customers understand. "They, too, are feeling the impact of rising airfares," Lang said. "It's a global phenomenon."