China’s Sichuan Airlines applies for Boston service

China’s Sichuan Airlines is seeking approval from the US DoT to open service to Boston, Massachusetts, accelerating its international expansion. The Chengdu-based carrier plans to launch the service Dec. 17 with twice-weekly flights operated by an A350-900, which is slated to be delivered soon. Sichuan is expected to introduce four A350-900 aircraft, configured with 28 business- and 303 economy-class seats, in 2019. The airline secured clearance from the Civil Aviation Administration of China for the new service Dec. 25, 2017. Sichuan plans to transport 55,608 passengers on this new service with an average load factor of 75% and earn $24.6m in operating revenue for the first year. The carrier has been challenged by overcapacity in the Sino-US market. Currently, Sichuan operates two Sino-US routes: Chengdu-Hangzhou-Los Angeles (opened in October 2016) and Chengdu-Jinan-Los Angeles (opened in December 2016).<br/>