News Details

Hainan Airlines gets nod for Chicago service


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China's Hainan Airlines secured approval from regulators to start its second US service, and plans to launch flights from Beijing to Chicago next year with Boeing 787 Dreamliners, reported Dow Jones Newswires.

Hainan already flies from the Chinese capital to Seattle and Toronto, and in March signed a marketing pact with American Airlines to cross-sell each others' flights.

The Chinese airline had already identified Seattle as a likely destination for its yet-to-be-delivered 787s.

It said in its application to the US Department of
Transportation that it would use the Dreamliner "or equivalent long-haul aircraft in its fleet" to start four weekly Chicago flights.

US carriers still operate the majority of flights to China, though executives have noted recent expansion by their Chinese counterparts in recent months, intensifying competition on the routes.

Hainan will be the first Chinese carrier to fly the Beijing-Chicago route, alongside American Airlines and United Continental. Cathay Pacific Airways also flies from Chicago to Hong Kong.

China Southern Airlines is expected to be the first Chinese carrier to receive a 787, and Hainan's plans to launch Chicago service with a Dreamliner will depend in part on how local regulators handle the new plane.

Chinese regulators have in the past taken time before authorising new aircraft types on long-haul routes, requiring its carriers to have extensive proving runs on domestic flights. China Southern has been flying its huge Airbus A380s on domestic services for a year.

The US is quickly becoming a key market for Dreamliner services. Japan Airlines started a Tokyo-Boston flight earlier this year and All Nippon Airways plans to fly them from Tokyo to Seattle and San Jose.


[ ] 2012-07-20