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REGIONAL> Top regional news
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Joy Air's first test flight
By Wang Yu (China Daily Shaanxi Bureau)
Updated: 2009-08-04 18:26 Chinese-made civil aviation MA60 aircraft took to the air on July 30 marking the first flight of Joy Air. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China and Eastern Airlines invested 1 billion yuan (US$146 million) to launch a Xi'an-based regional airline - Joy Air - which is still under its test operation period.
Joy Air, which was established in May last year, plans to use Chinese-made aircrafts such as MA60 and ARJ21 to develop regional air routes with flights between 600km and 1200km. Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group owns the intellectual property rights of Joy Air's first MA60 aircraft, which has a total seating capacity of up to 60 passengers suitable for air routes within 800km. The new airline, which ordered another two MA60s from Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group, plans to have six aircrafts under its operation by the end of 2009 and 100, including ARJ21 aircrafts, by 2017. Joy Air's flight between Xi'an and Yan'an will cost100 yuan (US$14.7). It is a third of the average price. Its flight between Xi'an and Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, will only cost160 yuan (US$23), which is 80 percent cheaper than the average price in China. Zhou Meiting, from Joy Air, said the price will change in August when the airline enters the public market. "There will be more flights to city as Mianyang [Sichuan province] and Taiyuan [ the capital of Shanxi]," he said. There are currently 46 airports in western China with further 20 scheduled to be built by 2010. |
