Hainan Airlines eyes ambitious 2015 with wishlist for nine new long-haul routes

Hainan Airlines is reportedly in the process of requesting approval to open nine new long-haul routes in 2015 covering London Heathrow, Manchester, Montreal, Nairobi, Oakland, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

What is certain is that Hainan is unlikely to open all of those routes. Hainan does not have the fleet to open so many new routes. But Hainan is likely to continue to quietly build a long-haul network, anchored around the 787 to North America, despite the difficult environment it operates in.

Hainan has reportedly previously been approved for Beijing-New York JFK service in exchange for opening a route to Africa on which China places strategic importance but which other carriers do not want to launch. Routes to Los Angeles and San Francisco are from secondary Chinese cities that may be allowed by regulators, and with incentives, but difficult to sustain commercially. Other services may be even more difficult, be it due to lack of demand, restrictive visa policies for Chinese nationals or needing to acquire London Heathrow slots.