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.[2]
== History[edit] ==
Air Travel, originally named Hongtu Airlines, received preliminary approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 26 March 2015.[3] 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'.[4]
On 22 December 2015, Hongtu Airlines took delivery of its first aircraft, an Airbus A321 originally destined for UTair Aviation.[5] The aircraft is named Dai after the Dai people, an ethnic minority in Yunnan Province.[6] Hongtu Airlines held an inauguration ceremony on 20 May 2016 and began flights the following day,[7] with the inaugural flight operating between Kunming and Nanchang.[8]
The airline underwent a branding change in 2018: its English name became Air Travel,[9] 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[edit] ==
Hongtu Airlines is headquartered near Changsha Huanghua International Airport.[10] 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.[4][5]
== Destinations[edit] ==
As of December 2017, Hongtu Airlines flies to the following destinations in China:[11]
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[edit] ==
The Hongtu Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2019:[12]
Air Travel Fleet
Aircraft 	In Service	Orders	Passengers	Passengers	Passengers	Passengers	Notes
Aircraft 	In Service	Orders	J 	Y+ 	Y 	Total 	Notes
Airbus A319-100	3 	— 	8 	6 	120 	134 	
Airbus A320-200	4 	— 	8 	6 	156 	168 	[13]
Airbus A320neo 	7 	— 	8 	— 	162 	170 	
Airbus A321-200	2 	— 	12 	— 	190 	202 	
Total 	16 	— 	 	 	 	 	
Category:Airlines of China
Category:Companies based in Hunan
Category:Chinese brands