East Star Airlines
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| Founded | 2005 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Wuhan Tianhe International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 10 (+1 order) | ||||||
| Destinations | 21 | ||||||
| Parent company | East Star Airlines Company Limited | ||||||
| Headquarters | Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China | ||||||
| Website | http://www.eaststar-air.com/ | ||||||
East Star Airlines (Chinese: 東星航空) is an airline based in Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China. It is a privately-owned airline and operates scheduled domestic services on 10 routes from Wuhan, and expects to add more routes as its fleet grows. Its main base is Wuhan Tianhe International Airport[1]. In July 2007, it was granted rights to operate international services after only a year of service, the first privately-owned Chinese airline to be granted permission to operate international flights before Civil Aviation Administration of China's (CAAC) requirement of three-year service. [2]
History
The airline received its air-operators certificate from the CAAC on 10 June, 2005, and started operations on 19 May, 2006. It is wholly owned by the China East Star Group and has 541 employees (as at March 2007)[1]. Its inaugural flight was from Wuhan to Shenzhen using its first Airbus A319[3].
Destinations
East Star Airlines destinations include (as at September 2007)[3]:
- Wuhan
- Shenzhen
- Haikou
- Nanjing
- Shenyang
- Guangzhou
- Guilin
- Changde
- Changsha
- Xian
- Hangzhou
- Tianjin
- Qingdao
- Chongqing
- Sanya
- Dalian
- Shanghai
- Xiamen
- Zhengzhou
- Hong Kong
- Macau
Fleet
The East Star Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as at 2 March 2009):[4]
| Aircraft | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 3 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 6 (2 orders) |
Deliveries: 2009 |
| Total | 9 (2 orders) |
On 27 November, 2005, the airline signed a Letter of Intent with Airbus for the purchase of 10 Airbus A320s plus a firm lease deal with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) for another 10 Airbus A320s. The aircraft are to be delivered in batches from the second quarter of 2006.[5]
External links
References
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 75.
- ^ China Daily 17 July 2007
- ^ a b Asia Travel Tips 26 May 2006
- ^ East Star Airlines Fleet
- ^ China Economic Net 14 December 2005
