Air Asia will launch flights from Kuala Lumpur to Hainan in May. The low-cost carrier already has four routes linking Kuala Lumpur to China: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Macao.

Established in 2001, the Kuala Lumpur-based airline has now carried more than 46 million passengers.

To keep fares low, the airline does not provide free food or beverages on board.

The uniforms of the hostesses raised complaints in the Malay parliament. A Wanita Umno delegate from Kelantan said the uniforms of the female cabin crew of budget airline AirAsia are too short and ’show too much skin.’

Kubang Kerian delegate Datuk Zaleha Hussin said the uniform was an embarrassment to women.

She called on the Government to compel the carrier to change the uniform of the stewardesses, which she felt was too revealing.
Source: China View

HNA Group’s Grand China Air, destined to be the country’s fourth-largest commercial carrier, is scheduled to be launched on Nov. 29 in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province.

Development Holding holds 40.65% of GCA with an investment of RMB1.5 billion while HNA’s Hainan Airlines invested RMB900 million in a 24.08% stake. Other investors include Starstep, Yangtze River Investment, Pan American Aviation Holdings, Qiye Industrial Investment, Union Trans-Atlantic and Perfect Star Investment.

To pave the way for GCA’s launch, Chen Feng.Chen resigned as Hainan Airlines chairman to become chairman of the new company. GCA will be the controlling stakeholder in Hainan and under Chinese regulations the chairman of a company that is the controlling stakeholder of a listed company cannot also chair the listed company.

GCA will merge Xinhua Airlines, Changan Airlines and Shanxi Airlines into one entity. HNA currently holds 60% of Xinhua, 93.75% of Shanxi and 81.16% of Changan. GCA will aim to purchase the remaining outstanding shares of those carriers ‘very soon.’

Chen Feng said the new entity plans to be listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. He said, ‘Hainan Airlines aims to solve its high debt ratio by reorganizing to launch Grand China Air and to list in Hong Kong, as the debt ratio would negatively impact raising funds for fleet expansion.’

No, the illustration does not show the new Grand China Air. Think of it as a generic inflight illustration.
Source: ATW Online

Hainan Airlines, a Chinese carrier backed by United States billionaire George Soros, expects to increase sales at least 15% this year.

Chairman Chen Feng said, ‘China is a very big market and the aviation industry keeps growing.’ Last year, China’s fourth-largest carrier by fleet size posted sales of RMB12.4 billion ($1.6 billion).

The combined sales of the nation’s airlines increased 11% to 21.1 billion in May from a year earlier according to the General Administration of Civil Aviation.

Jack Xu, a Shanghai-based analyst at Sinopac Securities Asia said, ‘People are getting richer and there will be more demand for travel in the future.’ Which is a perceptive but, perhaps, not original remark.

Passenger traffic in China will is estimated to increase at an average annual rate of 7.2% until 2025.
Source: Shanghai Daily

China will open new air routes the southern resort island of Hainan, with flight times to Southeast Asia to be cut by over two hours. The new routes will also mean shorter flights for tourists flying in from Japan, South Korea and Europe. It will also mean an immense influx of visitors for Hainan is one of the most attractive sea side places in China.

Tourism authorities are also aiming to develop new markets from Australia and New Zealand.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation’s statement said, ‘The move is a sound step towards building Hainan into a regional aviation hub.’ The new routes will be added ‘at an early date’.

Fascinating that the new routes became possible only after China’s military agreed to open up more airspace to civilian traffic.

The administration said the new routes would be particularly appealing for travelers from Southeast Asia. Travel time from Sanya, the southernmost city in Hainan, to Singapore will be reduced to just over five hours and a half hours, two hours and 28 minutes less than current flights.

Hainan is China’s most southern province and is popular with tourists for its tropical climate, beaches and seafood. Tourism numbers rose 37% last year to 513,000. When these new routes open watch them boom.
Source: AFP