Hainan Airlines Plans to Join Oneworld Alliance

Hainan Airlines, the fourth largest airline company in China, has announced plans to launch two new routes and join the Oneworld Alliance this year to make up for its shortage in overseas airline networks.

The two new planned routes are a Beijing to Osaka route opening on March 25, and a Beijing to St. Petersburg line starting in May 2007.

A senior manager from Hainan Airlines disclosed that the company had already passed their application to the Oneworld Alliance, and Japan Airlines, a member of Oneworld Alliance, who is sharing its code with Hainan Airlines, will be the recommender for this application.

Air China has joined Star Alliance and China Southern has joined the SkyTeam Alliance, so among the four largest airlines companies in China, only China Eastern hasn't any acted to join an international aviation alliance.

Li Jiaxiang, board chairman of Air China, said that it is hard for an airline company to make a great development by only depending on its own power under today's competition in the global aviation industry. Joining international aviation alliances means airline companies in China can extend their networks all over the world with the support of partners.