Tianjin Cargo Airlines has been issued with an air operator’s certificate (AOC) by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) moving it nearer to an official launch, according to media reports.
The new freighter carrier was targeting the start of flights in the first half of 2018, but this looks set to slip back into the second of the year.
Tianjin Cargo Airlines is a subsidiary of the HNA Group with Tianjin Airlines holding a 44 per cent stake; Tianjin Aviation Logistics Co. a 43 per cent share; and Yang Hang Investment Holding Co. the remaining 13 per cent.
The Chinese cargo carrier will start with three Boeing 737Fs and serve the likes of Urumqi, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Seoul, Hanoi, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Nagoya, Osaka and Sapporo.
Tianjin Cargo Airlines is targeting handling 15,000 tonnes of cargo this year, but has ambitious expansion plans and is looking to grow its fleet to somewhere between 50-100 aircraft over the next five years, expanding its route network.
