Hainan Airlines, China’s fourth-largest carrier, begins nonstop service from Seattle (in our illustration on the left) to Beijing on June 9. Northwest Airlines will follow with a daily nonstop service between Seattle and Beijing in March 2009. These are moves which will make a lot of Microsoft executives very happy.

The new Northwest Airlines service will use Airbus A330-200s equipped with 32 business-class seats and 211 economy-class seats.

Joel Chusid, North American general manager for Hainan Airlines, whose new Seattle-Beijing service begins next month, said, ‘This just validates the fact that Seattle has become a major gateway to the Pacific. Competition is competition, but we understand it. It just speaks to the vibrancy of the market.’

Last year, about 69,000 passengers flew between Seattle and China, not including passengers connecting through Seattle from other cities. By 2009, that number is expected to nearly double.
Source: The Seattle Times

Air Berlin launched its long-haul routes to China on May 1, with five flights a week from Düsseldorf toBeijing and Shanghai. Air Berlin will offer connecting flights from Germany — including from Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart. From Switzerland by way of from Zurich and and from Austria by, but of course, by way of Vienna.

Air Berlin will operate the routes with Airbus A330s equipment.

Air Berlin stated that after the Olympic Games, the carrier will be focusing on business travelers, upgrading the existing Business Class to Premium Business Class from November 8.

Furthermore, the partnership arrangement with Hainan Airlines means that Air Berlin passengers will be able to book connecting flights to all major Chinese airports.

From Beijing alone, Hainan Airlines operates to 50 cities in China. In return, Hainan Airlines will be operating non-stop flights from Beijing to Berlin from September 5, with Air Berlin providing the feeder and connecting flights in Germany and Europe.
Source: Peanuts Online

The Massachusetts Port Authority reports that the currently named Hainan Airline Aviation Group has formally applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China for permission to fly daily nonstops from Beijing to Boston using Boeing 787 aircraft.

The airline will, according to the Boston Business Journal be rebranded as Grand China Air which is a better name than Hainan Air given that most Americans do not have the foggiest notion where Hainan is geographically. The service will be non-stop 13-hour, 20-minute flights.

According to a a release from the local government, creating a nonstop service from Boston to China was a key goal of Governor Deval Patrick’s trade mission to China in December.

The CAAC said it would receive public comments on the application until April 10.

Massport CEO Thomas J. Kinton Jr., in a statement said, ‘We have been talking with the Chinese for three years to develop this route.

‘Every major US airport wants a China service, but we have the market to support it. Logan had 38,000 passengers travel from Boston on tickets purchased with a final destination of Beijing, and another 30,000 headed to Shanghai.’

With production delays in the long-range, fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner pushing back aircraft delivery, it is unlikely the service on Hainan’s Grand China Airlines will begin before 2010.

Source: Boston Business Journal

Hainan Airlines, China’s fourth-largest air carrier, plans to add 17 new aircraft to its fleet this year, including 12 Boeing 737-800 jets, two Airbus A330s and three Airbus A340s.

The company also reported a 290% increase in net profit for 2007 to RMB651.39 million ($92.32 million), while sales rose 6% to RMB13.56 billion.

Its new aircraft plan for 2008 includes the purchase of 10 B737-800s at a total price of about RMB3.5 billion, while the remaining seven aircraft will be leased.

China’s airlines have been bolstered by booming domestic demand for leisure and business travel.
Source: Reuters, also Reuters

Hainan Airlines, China’s fourth-largest air carrier, saw its unaudited net profit for 2007 jumped at least 300% from 2006.

In January, the airline estimated the rise in profit at 200% but that was being a tad conservative.

China’s airlines were buoyed last year by booming domestic demand for leisure and business travel, as well as the benefits of a rising yuan. Air China posted a 19% rise in second-half profit.

Hainan Airlines said details of its 2007 results would be published in its annual report, which will come out this weekend.

The airline posted a net profit of RMB181.6 million ($25.64 million) in 2006.
Source: Reuters