Hainan Airlines (HU, Haikou) is set to establish a base at Chengdu Shuangliu Shuangliu International Airport the Shuangliu District government has announced.
Following exploratory talks with local Communist Party boss Zhou Xianyi and other party members last week, airline president Sun Jianfeng signed an initial agreement wherein the two sides agreed to implement various aviation-related projects. Among the proposals is the establishment of a base, and the strengthening of the airfield's MRO, air cargo, and business aviation and FBO facilities.
In terms of rival carrier operations, Chengdu Shuangliu Int'l Airport serves as the main hub and headquarters for China Southern Airlines' Sichuan Airlines and Chengdu Airlines units. Air China also maintains a primary hub at the airfield (the other being at Beijing Capital) as do its Tibet Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines units. China Eastern Airlines has a base facility at Chengdu Shuangliu Int'l Airport as well.
Once operational, Chengdu will be Hainan Airlines' most westerly base in China after Beijing Capital, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Sanya, Shenzhen, and Xi'an Xianyang.
In terms of network connections, HNA Group's operations out of Chengdu are currently restricted to domestic Chinese flights.
Hainan Airlines currently connects Chengdu with Beijing Capital, Guangzhou, Haikou, Sanya, Shenzhen, Urumqi, and Xi'an Xianyang. In terms of presence, it ranks ninth in terms of weekly available seating capacity offering 14,067 seats (or 2.57%) out of a total of 547,159. Group budget carrier Lucky Air (China) is eighth offering 14,142 seats/week (2.58%) on a network that extends to fifteen local destinations.
