Qingdao Airlines

Qingdao Airlines
青岛航空
IATA ICAO Call sign
QW QDA SKY LEGEND
FoundedJune 2013; 11 years ago (2013-06)
Commenced operations26 April 2014; 10 years ago (2014-04-26)
Operating basesQingdao Jiaodong International Airport
Fleet size40
Destinations24
Parent companyNanshan Group
HeadquartersChengyang, Qingdao, Shandong, China
Key peopleSong Zuowen (President)
Websitewww.qdairlines.com
Qingdao Airlines
Simplified Chinese青岛航空
Traditional Chinese青島航空
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQīngdǎo hángkōng

Qingdao Airlines is a Chinese airline that commenced operations on 26 April 2014. The carrier is based at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport.[1]

History

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An application for the establishment of an airline based in the Shandong province was filed with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) by the Yantai-based Nanshan Group in May 2013.[2] Approval was received by the CAAC between that month and June 2013,[3] when Qingdao Airlines was formed.[4]

Corporate affairs

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Ownership

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Initially, the airline was owned by the Nanshan Group (55%), the Qingdao Transport Development Group (QTDG) (25%) and Shandong Airlines (20%). The initial capital of Qingdao Airlines was CNY1 billion (USD161 million).[4] In July 2015, Shandong Airlines transferred its shares to a subsidiary of the Nanshan Group; as of August 2015, the airline plans to sell the 25% of the shares held by QTDG in order to become fully private.[5] Since November 2015, Qingdao Airlines was fully owned by Nanshan Group.[6]

Key people

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As of April 2014, Song Zuowen was the president of the airline.[7]

Headquarters

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The airline's headquarters are in Chengyang District, Qingdao.[8]

Destinations

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Operations started on 26 April 2014 linking Qingdao with Chengdu.[4] As of May 2014, the airline's top five routes ranked by seat capacity were Qingdao–Shanghai, Qingdao–Beijing, Qingdao–Hangzhou, Qingdao–Shenyang and Qingdao–Dalian.[9] As of October 2016, Qingdao Airlines served the following destinations:[10]

As of August 2024, Qingdao Airlines operates to the following destinations:[citation needed]

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Cambodia Sihanoukville Sihanouk International Airport [11]
China Beijing Beijing Capital International Airport
Changchun Changchun Longjia International Airport
Changsha Changsha Huanghua International Airport
Dalian Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport
Guilin Guilin Liangjiang International Airport
Guiyang Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport
Harbin Harbin Taiping International Airport
Hefei Hefei Xinqiao International Airport
Hohhot Hohhot Baita International Airport
Kunming Kunming Changshui International Airport
Lanzhou Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport
Nanjing Nanjing Lukou International Airport
Nanning Nanning Wuxu International Airport
Qingdao Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport Hub
Qingdao Liuting International Airport Airport Closed
Quanzhou Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport
Shanghai Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Shenyang Shenyang Taoxian International Airport
Tianjin Tianjin Binhai International Airport
Ürümqi Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport
Yantai Yantai Penglai International Airport
Yinchuan Yinchuan Hedong International Airport
Zunyi Zunyi Xinzhou Airport
Japan Osaka Kansai International Airport [12]
Laos Vientiane Wattay International Airport [13]
Malaysia Penang Penang International Airport [14]
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur International Airport [15]
Philippines Tagbilaran Bohol–Panglao International Airport [16]
South Korea Seoul Incheon International Airport [17]
Thailand Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport [18]
Vietnam Nha Trang Cam Ranh International Airport [19]

The airline originally aimed to become a ″boutique airline″ and had plans to start services to Shenzhen and Shenyang in the near future; Guangzhou and Shanghai were expected to be served in the longer term.[4]

Fleet

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Qingdao Airlines Airbus A320 at Qingdao Liuting International Airport

As of May 2023, Qingdao Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[20]

Qingdao Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders
Airbus A320-200 14 0
Airbus A320neo 23 0
Airbus A321neo 3 0
Total 40 0

In September 2013, an order for five Airbus A320s and 18 A320neos was placed in a deal valued at USD2.5 billion.[21] The carrier phased in its first aircraft, a 152-seater Airbus A320, in early April 2014.[22][23] The carrier took ownership of its first two A320neos in October 2018.[24] Qingdao Airlines planned to expand its fleet to 60 aircraft by 2020.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Waldron, Greg (25 September 2013). "China's Qingdao Airlines orders 23 A320s". Flightglobal. Singapore. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014.
  2. ^ Hashim, Firdaus (20 May 2013). "Nanshan Group seek to establish Qingdao Airlines with two partners". Flightglobal. Singapore. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014.
  3. ^ "15 new passenger airlines to launch in China. Though small in size, they will rattle the status quo". Centre for Aviation. 3 May 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Cantle, Katie (28 April 2014). "Qingdao Airlines launches inaugural flight". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014.
  5. ^ a b Cantle, Katie (5 August 2015). "Qingdao Airlines to sell 25% stake". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 7 August 2015. 
  6. ^ 山东航空两亿卖掉20%持股 青岛航空变身全资民营-中新网. chinanews.com. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Qingdao Airlines launches inaugural operations, establishing itself as a 'boutique airline'". Centre for Aviation. 28 April 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2014.
  8. ^ 办公地址：青岛市城阳区长城南路6号6栋 (in Chinese). Qingdao Airlines. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  9. ^ "China's new airlines – Donghai, Loong & Qingdao – preferring to follow rather than innovate". CAPA Centre for Aviation. 9 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016.
  10. ^ "Qingdao Airlines Route Map (Winter Season 2017)". Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Qingdao Airlines plans Zhanjiang – Sihanoukville launch in July 2019". routesonline. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Qingdao Airlines launches its first flight to Kansai International Airport!". prtimes.jp (in Japanese). 22 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  13. ^ "QINGDAO AIRLINES ADDS JINGHONG – VIENTIANE FROM LATE-AUG 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Penerbangan pertama Qingdao Airlines mendarat di Pulau Pinang". www.astroawani.com (in Malay). 29 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Qingdao Airlines Adds Qingdao – Kuala Lumpur From July 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  16. ^ Liu, Jim (10 July 2024). "Qingdao Airlines adds Chengdu – Tagbilaran service in 3Q24". AeroRoutes.
  17. ^ Liu, Jim (24 October 2018). "Qingdao Airlines schedules international debut in Oct 2018". routesonline.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  18. ^ "三峡机场国际客运航线正式复航". Sohu (in Chinese). 20 September 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  19. ^ Liu, Jim (19 March 2019). "Qingdao Airlines adds Chengdu – Cam Ranh/Nha Trang service in S19". routesonline.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Airbus Orders & Deliveries". Airbus. May 2023. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023.
  21. ^ Landauro, Inti (25 September 2013). "Airbus: Qingdao Airlines Orders 23 A320 Planes, Worth $2.25B at List Prices". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014.
  22. ^ Blachly, Linda (10 April 2014). "Qingdao Airlines takes delivery of first A320". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014.
  23. ^ "China's Qingdao Airlines takes delivery of its first A320" (Press release). Airbus. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014.
  24. ^ Chen, Chuanren (26 October 2016). "Qingdao Airlines takes first A320neo for route expansion". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018.
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