China Rich Airways, the Hong Kong-based carrier that began operations last year, plans to lease three more Boeing 737-800s from its state-owned shareholder, HNA Group, by the end of the year to add eight more routes to China and Vietnam, sources say.
The carrier plans to fly to Tianjin and Changsha three times a week by the end of August.
It will also fly to Dalian, Fuzhou, Qingdao and Taiyuan, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam over the next two years.
CR Airways now runs scheduled flights to six mainland cities including Kunming, Guilin, Sanya, Haikou, Jinan and Nanning. Its planned routes to Tianjin and Changsha will compete directly with Air China and Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, respectively.
Sources said CR Airways would pitch the fares of its Tianjin and Changsha routes at least 10 per cent lower than those of other airlines.
They said the newcomer was also expected to be able to launch more services because of HNA's financial strength, thus putting pressure on ticket prices in Hong Kong.
