Hebei Airlines order for five Embraer E190s to further the young carrier's regional China growth

The first day of the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow saw an order from Hebei Airlines for five Embraer E190s. While the order may not be a blockbuster for the show, it is a critical part of one of air transport's quickly rising themes: regional China. Beijing and Shanghai may hold the country's spotlight, but second and third tier cities are growing much faster, a result of Beijing and Shanghai being severely constrained as well as government policies supporting growth outside of coastal areas.

Hebei Airlines was relaunched in 2010, having previously been called Northeast Airlines with a base in Shenyang. Sichuan Airlines took a majority stake in Hebei, based at Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, southwest of Beijing. The partial ownership gave Sichuan, based in more central China, exposure to northeast China. The country's main carriers are increasingly looking for new partners and bases to capture growth as air travel further develops in what will be the world's second largest domestic market.