Smooth landing for Joy Air's first flight

A Joy Air plane taxis to the runway at Xi’an Xianyang International Airport Saturday for the airline’s maiden flight. Photo: CFP

By Zhang Nan

The new regional airline Joy Air completed its maiden voyage Saturday with a short flight between Xi'an and Yan'an, both cities in Shaanxi Province.

The small airline, a joint venture between the State-owned China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) and China Eastern Airlines, will target the short routes that major airlines don't serve at present, especially ones in second and third tier cities in central and western China.

The MA60 plane, Joy Air flight number B-3453, took off from Xi'an with 33 passengers at 11:06 am Saturday, each paying 100 yuan ($14.64) for the 48-minute flight.

The airline is able to keep prices low by using aircrafts manufactured in China.

"We aim to use China-made aircrafts to explore the regional aviation market," Geng Ruguang, chairman of Joy Air, told Economic Observer News.

Few large airlines in China pay attention to the regional market, because they can't make much profit from it.

"We are deeply concerned about the situation," Geng said. "So we hope Joy Air can rapidly develop the market by combining China Eastern's management experience and AVIC's technology advantage."

"Joy Air can explore the potential demand by offering appealingly low prices," Zhang Wuan, director of Shanghai-based cut-rate carrier, Spring Airlines, told the Global Times yesterday. "They explored exclusive routes in western China where a huge demand exists. I think it's a smart way to compete in the airline market."

Owning 95 percent of Joy Air's shares, aviation manufacturer AVIC provided the carrier with two types of feeder aircrafts labeled Morden Ark 60 (MA60) and ARJ21 that are developed by AVIC.

The company said a safe record is a top goal. "I think Joy cannot be complete without safety. Safety is the lifeline for any airline company," Lin Zuoming, general manager of AVIC, said in the Joy Air establishment ceremony in March. "We promise to provide safe flights and a pleasant experience to our customers."

Some 200 MA60 airplanes have been in service for more than 10 years in eight countries including Bolivia, Laos, and the Republic of Congo. Few are used in China.

"The MA60 is good for short distance flights. I think it will generate handsome profits in China as well," Li Fenghua, CEO of China Eastern, said at the March event.

"By using China-made airliners, Joy Air can save a lot of expense because imported airplanes are far more expensive," Zhang said yesterday.

Three MA60 aircrafts were put into service this month and three more will be added by the end of this year.

Hainan Airlines, China Eastern and Sichuan Airlines are presently serving the regional market.

However, regional airlines currently have only about 90 aircrafts serving 8 percent of the aviation market, much less than the 30 percent in developed countries.
 

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