A new airline in Chinese skies

In just a few days' time, a new player in the air transport sector will be making its appearance: on 26 December, Air China will launch its new subsidiary Dalian Airlines, thanks to the green light given last week by the Chinese authorities.

The newcomer will begin operations between the city of Dalian, China's third-largest port, and Shenzhen airport, near Hong Kong. Dalian Airlines currently has a fleet limited to two Boeing 737-800s, but plans to rapidly increase this to five aircraft, rising to around twenty by 2015. The Air China subsidiary is also set to launch services to Beijing, South Korea and Japan.