China to approve private airline - report

Airline Industry Information, Feb 22, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The Chinese aviation regulator is expected to issue a licence to Okay Airways Co, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported on Monday (21 February).

Okay Airways would be the first private airline authorized to operate on the mainland, the newspaper said. The airline, with registered capital of CNY300m, is based at Binhai International Airport in Tianjin, a city about 60 miles southeast of Beijing, although its headquarters is in the capital.

After receiving a licence from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Okay Airways is expected to begin services in early March, reported the China Daily. The carrier is expected to operate air cargo and express services, passenger charter flights and ground distribution services.

Three other airlines are expected to follow Okay as private carriers: Shanghai-based Spring International Airlines; Eagle Airlines, based in the southwestern city of Chengdu; and Huaxia Airlines in northwestern China's Gansu province.

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