China Eastern talks up ambitious plans for Hainan operations

China Eastern Airlines hopes to place up to 50 aircraft at its newly-established base on Hainan island, as part of broader plans to grow its presence at the up-and-coming free trade hub. The announcement comes as the carrier officially launched its Hainan operational unit — known as China Eastern Airlines Hainan — aimed at “effectively integrating” the island into the airline’s broader network. While it did not state what aircraft it was intending to base at Haikou and Sanya — Hainan’s two largest cities — it says it will “continue to increase investment in…capacity into Hainan and continuously optimise its route network”. China Eastern also did not elaborate if the latest announcement was referring to its mainline operations, or that of Sanya International Airlines, the newly-set-up unit based at Sanya. The carrier in June 2020 inked a cooperation framework agreement with four partners to establish a Sanya International.<br/>