Chinese low-cost start-up Jiuyuan Airlines has taken delivery of its first two aircraft, as it gears towards launching operations.
The Juneyao Airlines’ subsidiary took delivery of its first Boeing 737-800, registered B-1715 on 30 August. Its second 737, registered B-1719, landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International airport on 9 September.
Jiuyuan Airlines
Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that the two aircraft are managed by Transportation Partners and owned by Azure Sky Investments. The aircraft, both built in 2014, were originally due to be operated by Lion Air.
Pictures on Jiuyuan's Weibo account also show the livery of the new airline, with a 9 on its tail. Jiuyuan, which means "nine yuan" in Mandarin, is also known as 9 Air.
At the Farnborough air show in July, the airline signed a letter of intent with Boeing for 20 737-800s and 30 737 Max 8s.
The airline was initially targeting to launch operations in August, but a launch date has yet to be set. On its website, it is asking visitors to guess its launch date to win tickets on the carrier.
Jiuyuan, to be based in Guangzhou, is a joint venture between Juneyao, Chinese firms Elion Resources Group and Macrolink Group, and businessman Ji Guang Ping.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
