Air Guilin, Hainan Airlines’ youngest low-cost subsidiary headquartered in Guilin, launches the first scheduled flight to Hainan’s third civilian airport, Boao Airport located in the city of Qionghai, Hainan Province, on 29 December 2016, using its Airbus A319 aircraft.
On 29 December 2016, Air Guilin flight GT1088 departs from Guilin for Boao at 8 am, arrives in Boao at 9.30 am before leaving Boao for Guilin at 10.20 am and touching down in Guilin at 11.50 am under flight GT1089.
On 4 January 2017, Air Guilin flight GT1011 leaves from Guilin for Boao via Yangzhou at 5.50 pm, arrives in Yangzhou at 8 pm where passengers will alight and stay overnight in Yangzhou before departing from Yangzhou at 1.40 pm for Boao on 5 January 2017 and touching down in Boao at 4.40 pm under flight GT1048. The return flight GT1047 departs from Boao for Yangzhou at 10 am and arrives in Yangzhou at 12.50 pm. Flights between Boao and Yangzhou are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
There are scheduled flights to Yangzhou from Suvarnabhumi and Phuket with Spring Airlines and to Guilin from Hong Kong with Cathay Dragon and from Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia.
On 5 January 2017, Air Guilin flight GT1020 departs from Jieyang for Boao at 9.45 pm, arrives in Boao at 11.35 pm after leaving Boao for Jieyang at 7 pm and arriving in Jieyang at 8.50 pm under flight GT1019. Flights are operated on Thursdays and Sundays.
From 18 January 2017 onwards, flight GT1020 departs from Jieyang for Boao at 9.35 am, arrives in Boao at 11.25 am after embarking on the outbound journey from Boao to Jieyang at 7 am and arriving in Jieyang at 8.50 am under flight GT1019. Flights will be on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays.
There are flights to Jieyang from Singapore with Jetstar Asia Airways, from Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia and from Suvarnabhumi with China Southern.
On 6 January 2017, flight GT1033 departs from Guilin for Boao via Xuzhou at 7 am, arrives in Xuzhou at 9.10 am where passengers will transfer to flight GT1050 that will take off from Xuzhou for Boao at 1.10 pm and touch down in Boao Airport at 4.05 pm. The outbound flight to Xuzhou from Boao takes place at 9.30 am and lands in Xuzhou at 12.20 pm under flight GT1049. Flights between Boao and Xuzhou are operated on Fridays, Sundays and Mondays.
There are scheduled flights to Xuzhou from Hong Kong with Hong Kong Airlines and Spring Airlines and charter flights to Xuzhou from Don Mueang with New Gen Airways.
Passengers continuing their journeys to Guilin from Xuzhou will depart on the next day at 10 am and arrive in Guilin at 12.20 pm.
On the same day of 6 January 2017, another Air Guilin flight GT1038 departs from Nanchang for Boao at 8.20 pm, arrives in Boao at 10.30 pm before leaving Boao at 5.30 pm and touching down in Nanchang at 7.35 pm under flight GT1037. Flights are conducted on Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
With the flights from Guilin, Yangzhou, Xuzhou, Jieyang and Nanchang, Air Guilin will become the largest airline tenant of Boao Airport.
Construction of Boao Airport started on 19 March 2015 and was completed in January 2016. After it was certified to comence air traffic control operations on 11 March 2016 the first test flight took place on 17 March 2016 when Hainan Airlines flight HU7777 from Beijing successfully landed on the tarmac at 12.40 pm. The airport was approved by CAAC on 11 December 2016 to open new domestic routes.
Following the successful launch of Air Guilin’s scheduled flight to Bo’ao, the airport aims to include international air traffic later in 2017 when construction of the international terminal building is completed in January. International flights will proceed with charter flights in time for the Forbes Asia Boao Forum.
Other Chinese airlines that will operate new flights to Boao will include Hainan Airlines, Lucky Air, Shandong Airlines, China United Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Hebei Airlines, Juneyao Airlines and China Eastern. Cities to be covered will include Taiyuan, Lanzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Hefei, Guiyang, Xichang, Zhengzhou, Changsha, Ningbo, Kunming, Shijiazhuang, Harbin, Jinan and Qingdao. It is hoped that the operation of scheduled air services routes from Boao will alleviate air traffic congestion at both airports of Haikou and Sanya.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
