China's Capital Airlines Opens Two International Routes

Hainan Airlines' subsidiary Capital Airlines has opened two international routes - Zhanjiang-Bangkok on Oct. 26 and Beijing-Male on Oct. 27. The Beijing-based carrier has accelerated its international expansion pace as the Chinese economy grows, which has increased outbound travel for China's citizens.

Capital Airlines operates 54 aircraft, comprising 22 Airbus A319s, 31 A320s and one A330.

It introduced the first A330 on its first weekly long-haul intercontinental route, Hangzhou to Copenhagen, on Sep. 3, followed by a weekly Beijing-Copenhagen service Sep. 6.

According to the carrier, it is scheduled to take delivery of two more A330s this year and expand its long-haul fleet to more than 30 aircraft in the next five years.

It is also applying to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to open two new long-haul, intercontinental routes - Hangzhou-Madrid in December 2015 and Qingdao-Melbourne in July 2016.

The carrier's parent HNA Group director Li Xiang said the group would adopt "differentiated international expansion strategies" for Capital Airlines and Hainan Airlines as the former mainly targets leisure travelers while the latter focuses mainly on business travelers.