Yangtze River Airlines eyes international expansion

HNA Group subsidiary Yangtze River Airlines looks toward international expansion in 2017 as China’s outbound passenger travel continues to grow. The carrier plans to take delivery of 2 Boeing 787 aircraft, which Hainan Airlines expects to introduce in 2017. Hainan Airlines raised its stake in Yangtze River Airlines from 0.37% to 11.6% in July. Last year the airline was transformed from Yangtze River Express, a cargo carrier that launched in 2002. Yangtze River Airlines currently operates 6 Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft on 21 domestic routes. It established Shanghai as its main operating base and Shenzhen as another domestic base with passenger boardings of 600,000. By 2020, Yangtze River Airlines plans to expand to 35 passenger aircraft and transport 6.6m passengers. <br/>