Xiamen Airlines will launch its first long-haul service to Amsterdam using Boeing 787-8 aircraft this July.
Speaking to Flightglobal in an interview, manager of the flight planning office, Ding Chunling, says this will be the first time the airline puts its 787s on an international service. The aircraft, since its induction last September, has so far been used on domestic services to Beijing and Chengdu.
“After Amsterdam, we will look at using the aircraft to Australia and North America. In Australia we’re looking at Sydney and Melbourne, while to North America we’re looking at Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver,” he adds.
The carrier will take delivery of its remaining three 787s on order in April, June and September.
Ding adds that Xiamen is also looking at ordering more widebody aircraft as part of a push to expand its international network. He says the airline needs at least 10 787s, and that it is also considering the larger and longer range 787-9.
Apart from long-haul services, the carrier also plans to launch more services to Manila, Osaka and Tokyo. Domestically, it will open services to six new second tier destinations – Ganzhou, Xichang, Nantong, Wuxi, Xuzhou and Yuncheng.
The Skyteam carrier’s aim is to build its bases in Xiamen and Fuzhou, as the gateways between Southeast China and the rest of the world.
Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that Xiamen Airlines has 116 aircraft in service, comprising of 107 737s, six 757s and three 787s.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
