Qingdao Airlines launched operations with a service on the Qingdao-Chengdu route on 26 April.
The carrier operates a daily service on the route, and will soon start services to Shenzhen, Changsa and Shenyang. Thereafter, it also intends to apply for rights to fly to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Qingdao, which took delivery of its first Airbus A320 earlier this month, plans to grow to a fleet of 50 aircraft by 2020 and 100 aircraft by 2025. The aim is to handle 20 million passengers annually, with an annual revenue of CNY20 billion ($3.2 billion), says the carrier on its website.
Local media reports say the carrier will model itself as a "boutique carrier."
In February, Qingdao applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for an air operator’s certificate for domestic passenger and cargo services from Liuting International airport. the carrier is a 55:25:20 joint venture between Nanshan Group, Qingdao Transportation Development Group and Shandong Airlines.
Last September, Qingdao placed an order for 23 A320-family aircraft (18 A320neos and five A320s), deliveries of which will begin in 2016.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
