Hainan Airlines, one of Asia’s largest airlines, now connects Vienna with the high-tech metropolis of Shenzhen in the People’s Republic of China.
“The new long-haul fight connection will provide new impetus to the economic and tourism ties between China and Austria and enable new market opportunities”, explains Julian Jäger, Joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport, attending the official opening of flight operations along with Liu Jichun, Vice President of Hainan Airlines.
The technological city of Shenzhen boasts the highest per capita income in China after Hong Kong and Macau, and its economic output approximately corresponds to that of Norway. High-tech companies such as Huawei and Tencent operate their headquarters there, and a large number of international firms manufacture components for Apple, Nintendo, Hewlett-Packard and Sony in the so-called “iPod City”. The city is a Special Economic Zone in the Province of Guangdong.
“Vienna Airport is one of only three airports in Europe directly served by Hainan Airlines. This underlines the attractive role of Vienna as a gateway to this region and the significance of this market. In 2017 China was one of the three travel destinations with the most passengers in Vienna Airport’s long-haul flight offering. The new flight connection enables business and tourism between the two countries to take off even more”, says a pleased Julian Jäger, Joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport, in commenting about the new long-haul flight offering.
“China is already Vienna’s second biggest overseas market, with 440,000 overnight stays and a growth rate of 34% in the year 2017. The Vienna metropolitan area was already the third most popular city destination of Chinese guests in Europe, surpassed only by London and Paris. Vienna is a well-established brand in China, and the new flight service to Hainan opens up a new chapter in this success story”, states Norbert Kettner, Director of the Vienna Tourism Board, in welcoming the new flight connection.
“On behalf of Hainan Airlines, I express my lofty respect to all the enthusiastic people for their great concern and support for the new route and therefore the development of Hainan Airlines. The launch of Shenzhen-Vienna direct flight service will not only facilitate the business and leisure travel of the two countries, but also lay a foundation for the cooperation between the two countries in the fields of infrastructure, logistics, technology and digitalization. More Chinese tourists will come here to experience the artistic atmosphere of the “City of Music”. At the same time, we hope more Austrian people can travel to Shenzhen and all over China to know more about the international city of Shenzhen.” says Liu Jichun, Vice President of Hainan Airlines.
Twice weekly to Shenzhen in a Dreamliner
The Hainan Airlines flight departs from Vienna at 11:45 a.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays and lands in China at 5 a.m. on the following day. The return flight from Shenzhen takes off at 1:30 a.m. and arrives in Vienna at 6:50 a.m. A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is deployed on the non-stop flight service commencing October 20, 2018. This aircraft features spaciousness, low cabin pressure, improved air quality and optimal humidity, thus offering a particularly high level of travel comfort to passengers.
Hainan Airlines: Largest privately-operated airline in the People’s Republic of China
Hainan Airlines Holding Co., Ltd.(hereafter referred to as “Hainan Airlines”) was founded in January, 1993. Hainan Airlines has achieved 25 years of safe operations equivalent to more than 6.6 million hours of safe flights. Hainan Airlines’ and its holding subsidiaries had over 400 aircraft, the fleet is composed mainly of Boeing 737s and 787s as well as Airbus 330s. The airlines network of routes covers China, numerous points in Asia and extends to Europe, North America and the South Pacific, operated on over 1700 domestic and international routes to nearly 220 cities worldwide. Since 2011, Hainan Airlines, with its high-quality service standards and continuous years of service innovation, has won SKYTRAX World’s 5-Star Airlines rating for eight consecutive years. After joining the roster of SKYTRAX World’s Top 10 Airlines for the first time in 2017, Hainan Airlines moved up the rankings to claim eighth place this year, becoming the first mainland China-based airline to win the honour for the second year in a row. “Fly Your Dreams”. Hainan Airlines aspires to be a world-class airline company and the prominent airline brand of China. More information on the airline and booking opportunities are available at www.hainanairlines.com
