Hainan Airlines to open three international routes

China’s Hainan Airlines plans to open three international routes in the next eight months as demand increases for outbound travel.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Haikou-based carrier is expected to open 3X-weekly Beijing-Prague-Belgrade services in August, which will be operated by either an Airbus A330 or Boeing 787. This route was originally Beijing-Prague service that opened in September 2015.

According to local Serbian media, Hainan is scheduled to open nonstop Beijing-Belgrade A330-300 service in September.

In March, Hainan Airlines’ parent Hainan Group signed a letter of intent to cooperate with the Serbian government. Based on the agreement, both sides will conduct a feasible study on opening direct flights, building flight training bases and establishing cooperations with Serbian companies. Hainan also noted the company would join the public bid for a 25-year tenancy at Belgrade Airport.

In addition, Hainan is scheduled to open 3X-weekly Shenzhen-Keynes services in January 2018. The airline will also begin 3X-weekly Shenzhen-Zurich services in February 2018. Both services will use either an A330 or 787.

Unlike China’s big three carriers—Air China, China Southern and China Eastern—Hainan Airlines’ business strategy includes operating international routes from China’s big cities to Europe and North America’s secondary cities, or from China’s secondary cities to Europe and North America’s big cities.