Airline News
United adds Xi’an flights as Hainan’s fleet grows
September 25th 2015
United Airlines has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the U.S. Department of Transportation for traffic rights between its San Francisco hub and the Western Chinese city of Xi’an, a popular tourist destination close to the famous Terracotta Warriors site. Read More »
On Tuesday, United said it intended to use a B787-8 for the thrice-weekly seasonal service, planned from May 10 to October 29 next year. United flies to more cities in China than any of its U.S. rivals. The carrier’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific, Walter Dias, last week told This Week in Asia-Pacific Aviation that its San Francisco-Chengdu route, in existence since last September and also operated by the B787-8, continued to perform well. Like its Chengdu service, United will have a monopoly on the new non-stop link with Xi’An.
At Hainan Airlines, it emerged the Mainland’s Number Four has been allocated 20 of the 45 A330s ordered by China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. in late June in return for Airbus setting up an A330 final assembly in Tianjin. The Haikou-headquartered carrier this week confirmed a three times a week Beijing-Tel Aviv A330 service from next April, which underscored the carrier’s growing appetite for long, thin routes.
Air China subsidiary Shandong Airlines, based in Jinan, confirmed it would sell its 20% equity in Qingdao Airlines for 200.8 million yuan ($32.8 million) to a buyer yet to be identified. Mainland industry sources have suggested Shandong sold to the Nanshan Group, which would be in line with recent transactions that saw Qingdao Transport Development Group sell its 25% holding in Qingdao Airlines to the same conglomerate for 251 million yuan in August, bringing its holdings to 80% in the airline. After the deal is complete, Qingdao Airlines is expected to be renamed “Xinlong Airlines.” It operates six A320s on 20 domestic routes, but plans to expand to 50 aircraft in 2020 and to 100 in 2025.
