Hainan Airlines to launch six international routes

Hainan Airlines plans to open six international routes soon as the Haikou-based carrier continues its expansion to meet the increasing demand of Chinese outbound travelers. The new routes comprise Shanghai-Tel Aviv, Beijing-Prague-Belgrade, Shenzhen-Brisbane, Chongqing-New York JFK, Chengdu-New York JFK and Shanghai-Brussels. In the 2017 first half, Hainan opened 15 international routes, including Chengdu-Los Angeles, California, and Chongqing-Los Angeles in March. To date, Hainan operates 12 Sino-US routes using mostly Boeing 787s. The carrier operates the biggest 787 fleet in China, with 22 aircraft. Hainan Airlines operates from China’s secondary cities to primary foreign cities and vice versa. However, because China’s secondary cities traditionally have low load factors, it is challenging for these international routes to be profitable, especially in business class.<br/>