Kunming Airlines (昆明航空公司) will launch its maiden flight on February 15, flying from Kunming to Changsha and on to Harbin, according to an announcement by majority shareholder Shenzhen Airlines yesterday.

The new airline, which was originally expected to start operations last month, is aiming to increase connections between Yunnan and China's second-tier cities as well as increasing air connectivity between Kunming and Southeast Asia. Tickets for flights on Kunming Airlines (code: KY) are now on sale nationwide.

Shenzhen Airlines owns 80 percent of the new airline, for which it has provided two B737-700 and one B737-800 aircraft plus 30 pilots and 26 flight attendants.

According to Kunming Airlines' development plan, the airline will spend the next three years adding to its fleet of aircraft and building an extensive flight network within Yunnan, as well as adding routes to provincial capitals around the country.

The airline's chief rival within Yunnan is China Eastern Airlines' Yunnan subsidiary which recently split with its Shanghai-based parent company after a tough year in Yunnan last year which saw mid-air protests by pilots followed by harsh punishment from aviation regulator Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Kunming Airlines (昆明航空公司) announced that it will launch its first flights in January of next year, according to Kunming media reports.

Kunming Airlines CEO Wang Qingmin (王清民) told reporters that Kunming Airlines is receiving investment from Shenzhen Airlines and will also draw support from the airline's management and IT systems.

Kunming is building what is expected to be China's fourth-largest airport which is expected to drive the city's emergence as the main air hub between China, Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Wang said Kunming Airlines has a 15-year development plan it calls its '3-5-7 Plan', which involves three stages of strategic development. In the airline's first three years (2008-2010) the airline will assemble a fleet of 30-40 planes and establish an extensive flight network throughout Yunnan. During this stage the airline will also establish routes to China's provincial capitals and economically developed cities on the mainland, eventually connecting these cities with major Southeast Asian destinations.

In the following five years (2010-2015) the airline plans on upgrading its fleet to 80-100 planes and establish hubs in Xi'an and Guangzhou while strengthening its trunk and branch routes.

During the seven years after that (2015-2022) Kunming Airlines will expand its fleet to 150-200 planes and establish hubs in Tianjin and Hangzhou and will focus on developing its international reach.

Shenzhen Airline's involvement in Kunming Airlines brings needed credibility to the new airline, which was formally established in 2005. Established in 1993, Shenzhen Airlines has been profitable for the last 14 years and is China's largest privately held airline. Specific terms of Shenzhen Airlines' investment in Kunming Airlines have not been released.

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