A foreign air carrier will be allowed to pick up passengers and cargo on the Chinese mainland en route to other destinations from late May, aviation authorities said yesterday in Beijing.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) has approved the application by Singapore Cargo Airline for authority to exercise "fifth freedom rights" between Singapore and Chicago via Xiamen in Fujian Province and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, said Ma Songwei, vice-director of the CAAC's publicity department.

"This will be the first time the Chinese mainland has granted fifth freedom rights to a foreign air carrier," Ma said.

Freedom rights, specified in the Chicago international aviation convention, are the privileges a government grants international carriers registered in other countries.

The development of the air cargo market between China and the United States had been stifled by the shortage of flight rights, Ma said.

The total of 54 direct flights a week already fly between China and the United States, he said.

But now indirect flights will be allowed, through the issuing of fifth freedom rights.

Their long-awaited release was scheduled for April 1 but was postponed to May 22 due to uncertainties over the ongoing war in Iraq, Wang Xinzhong, an official with Xiamen Gaoqiao International Airport, told China Daily yesterday.

There will be three weekly flights via Xiamen and Nanjing under the new rights scheme in the near future, Wang said. "It is necessary to grant fifth freedom rights to foreign air carriers if China wants to enhance its competitive advantage as a regional hub," Wang said.

"It is also important for Xiamen's economy," he said, adding that Xiamen's airport capacity has room for more flights.

After negotiations with Singapore Cargo Airline, the Xiamen Airport Corporation has submitted the application for fifth freedom rights to the CAAC, Wang said.

The Singapore carrier decided to add Nanjing to the route for economic reasons, the official said.

Fifth freedom rights have become more common as airlines seek to expand their network of destinations and become more global in scope.