Air Travel (airline)
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| Founded | 16 April 2014[1] (as Hongtu Airlines) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 21 May 2016 | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Fleet size | 16 | ||||||
| Destinations | 7 (August 2017) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Changsha, Hunan, China | ||||||
| Key people | Tang Longcheng, chairman | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
| Air Travel | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 湖南航空股份公司 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 湖南航空股份公司 | ||||||
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Air Travel (Chinese: 湖南航空; Hunan Airlines) is a Chinese airline operating domestic flights from its Changsha Huanghua International Airport hub in Hunan Province. The airline launched operations in May 2016 as Hongtu Airlines and rebranded to "Air Travel" in 2018. The airline moved to Hunan from Yunnan in 2020.[2]
History
[edit]Air Travel, originally named Hongtu Airlines, received preliminary approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 26 March 2015.[3] In October 2015, the airline's livery was revealed. The red color represents the famous red earth of Dongchuan District in Yunnan Province; in fact, Hongtu in the airline's name, is a transliteration of Chinese: 红土; lit. 'red soil'.[4]
On 22 December 2015, Hongtu Airlines took delivery of its first aircraft, an Airbus A321 originally destined for UTair Aviation.[5] The aircraft is named Dai after the Dai people, an ethnic minority in Yunnan Province.[6] Hongtu Airlines held an inauguration ceremony on 20 May 2016 and began flights the following day,[7] with the inaugural flight operating between Kunming and Nanchang.[8]
The airline underwent a branding change in 2018: its English name became Air Travel,[9] whilst retaining the name 红土航空; 'red soil airline' in Chinese. The company then changed its local name to Hunan Airlines (湖南航空公司) in 2021 following its move to Hunan Province, but retained the name 'Air Travel' in English.
Corporate affairs
[edit]Hongtu Airlines is headquartered near Changsha Huanghua International Airport.[10] The airline is a joint venture between Kunming Evergreen Financing (30%); local entrepreneur Tang Longcheng (20%); and five other companies, each holding 10%. The parties have invested a total of CNY600 million (USD96.6 million) in the airline.[4][5]
Destinations
[edit]As of December 2017, Hongtu Airlines flies to the following destinations in China:[11]
Fleet
[edit]The Hongtu Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2019:[12]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 3 | — | 8 | 6 | 120 | 134 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 4 | — | 8 | 6 | 156 | 168 | [13] |
| Airbus A320neo | 7 | — | 8 | — | 162 | 170 | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 2 | — | 12 | — | 190 | 202 | |
| Total | 16 | — | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ "湖南航简介". Hongtu Airlines (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ "湖南政府入股，红土航空"迁址"湖南". www.yicai.com. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ "Yunnan Hongtu Airlines receives preliminary CAAC approval". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Photos: Livery of China's Startup Hongtu Airlines Unveiled on an Airbus A321". China Aviation Daily. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ a b " China's Hongtu Airlines takes delivery of maiden aircraft". Ch-aviation. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ "Photos: Hongtu Airlines' First A321 Aircraft Touches Down at Kunming Airport". China Aviation Daily. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ Xu, Rejoice (19 May 2016). "China's Start-up Hongtu Airlines Starts Operation in Kunming". China Aviation Daily. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ "Yunnan Hongtu Airlines launches inaugural operation with 95% load". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ "Air Travel". ch-aviation. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "联系我们" [Contact us]. Hongtu Airlines (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ "Profile on Yunnan Hongtu Airlines". CAPA Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Air Travel Fleet Details and History". planespotters.net. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "China's Hongtu Airlines adds maiden A320". ch-aviation. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
