# Air Travel (airline)

Air Travel (Chinese: 湖南航空; Hunan Airlines) is a Chinese airline operating domestic flights from its Changsha Huanghua International Airport hub in Hunan Province. The airline launched operations in May 2016 as Hongtu Airlines and rebranded to "Air Travel" in 2018. The airline moved to Hunan from Yunnan in 2020.

## History

Air Travel, originally named Hongtu Airlines, received preliminary approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 26 March 2015. In October 2015, the airline's livery was revealed. The red color represents the famous red earth of Dongchuan District in Yunnan Province; in fact, Hongtu in the airline's name, is a transliteration of Chinese: 红土; lit. 'red soil'.
On 22 December 2015, Hongtu Airlines took delivery of its first aircraft, an Airbus A321 originally destined for UTair Aviation. The aircraft is named Dai after the Dai people, an ethnic minority in Yunnan Province. Hongtu Airlines held an inauguration ceremony on 20 May 2016 and began flights the following day, with the inaugural flight operating between Kunming and Nanchang.
The airline underwent a branding change in 2018: its English name became Air Travel, whilst retaining the name 红土航空; 'red soil airline' in Chinese. The company then changed its local name to Hunan Airlines (湖南航空公司) in 2021 following its move to Hunan Province, but retained the name 'Air Travel' in English.

## Corporate affairs

Hongtu Airlines is headquartered near Changsha Huanghua International Airport. The airline is a joint venture between Kunming Evergreen Financing (30%); local entrepreneur Tang Longcheng (20%); and five other companies, each holding 10%. The parties have invested a total of CNY600 million (USD96.6 million) in the airline.

## Destinations

As of December 2017, Hongtu Airlines flies to the following destinations in China:
| Subdivision | City | Airport | Notes |
| Gansu | Lanzhou | Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport | |
| Guangdong | Zhuhai | Zhuhai Jinwan Airport | |
| Guangxi | Guilin | Guilin Liangjiang International Airport | |
| Guangxi | Nanning | Nanning Wuxu International Airport | |
| Inner Mongolia | Hailar | Hulunbuir Hailar Airport | |
| Inner Mongolia | Hohhot | Hohhot Baita International Airport | |
| Jiangsu | Nanjing | Nanjing Lukou International Airport | Base |
| Jiangsu | Wuxi | Sunan Shuofang International Airport | Base |
| Jiangsu | Nantong | Nantong Xingdong Airport | |
| Jiangxi | Nanchang | Nanchang Changbei International Airport | |
| Jilin | Changchun | Changchun Longjia International Airport | |
| Henan | Zhengzhou | Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport | |
| Liaoning | Shenyang | Shenyang Taoxian International Airport | |
| Qinghai | Xining | Xining Caojiabao International Airport | |
| Shandong | Qingdao | Qingdao Liuting International Airport | |
| Shandong | Yantai | Yantai Penglai International Airport | |
| Yunnan | Baoshan | Baoshan Yunrui Airport | |
| Yunnan | Cangyuan | Cangyuan Washan Airport | |
| Yunnan | Kunming | Kunming Changshui International Airport | Base |
| Yunnan | Lijiang | Lijiang Sanyi International Airport | |
| Zhejiang | Wenzhou | Wenzhou Longwan International Airport | |
| Hunan | Changsha | Changsha Huanghua International Airport | Base |
| Jilin | Baishan | Changbaishan Airport | |
| Inner Mongolia | Hulunbuir | Hulunbuir Hailar Airport | |

## Fleet

The Hongtu Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2019: