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The Vietnam National Flag Carrier (Vietnam Airlines), a member of
the global airline alliance SkyTeam, on November 17 announced the joining of
Xiamen Airlines into the alliance.
China's fifth largest airline, Xiamen Airlines begins the joining process
leading to full entry into SkyTeam by the end of 2012, further strengthening the
alliance offer in the flourishing southeast China region.
Based in Xiamen, a coastal city in East China's Fujian province, Xiamen Airlines
operates a network of domestic and regional services throughout China and Asia,
predominantly from the hub airports of Xiamen, Fuzhou and Hangzhou. Fujian is
one of the most prosperous provinces in China with diverse industries such as
clothing, tea production and electronics. Tourism has seen very strong growth
and is one of the highlights in the region's economy.
"SkyTeam has long recognized the region's huge economic potential, resulting in
our No.1 position in Greater China. Xiamen Airlines' membership will strengthen
our offer in the southeastern part of China and the cross-strait markets. And
while we further capitalize on the expanding network, our members in China will
work together to enhance alliance-wide benefits for our customers”, said SkyTeam
Managing Director Michael Wisbrun.
While currently over 90% of the network is domestic, Xiamen Airlines aims to
boost its international traffic by expanding the network to serve major
long-haul destinations in Australia, Europe and North America, starting in 2014.
The integration of Xiamen Airlines into SkyTeam will be fully supported by major
shareholder China Southern, the first Chinese airline that joined SkyTeam in
2007.
With the accelerated globalization of the world economy and China's rapid
economic development, Xiamen Airlines will further enhance its competitive edge
in the coming years by becoming a first-class airline in the Asia-Pacific
region.
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