Hainan Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A319 aircraft today in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft will arrive at Xi’an International Airport in the Shanxi Province tomorrow, where a formal handover ceremony will take place.
The A319 is powered by CFM International CFM56-5b engines and is configured in a single economy-class layout, which will provide space for 134 passengers. The aircraft will be operated by Chang’an Airlines, a local branch of Hainan Airlines in Xi’an, and will serve domestic trunk routes and some high-altitude routes like Tibet, Huanglong and Gongga.

Having started its operations in 1993, Hainan Airlines currently operates out of the city of Haikou, Hainan Island, with airlinks to more than 50 domestic destinations.

The A319, which is known to the Chinese customers as “the Mountain Goat”, first made a successful demonstration flight over Tibet International Airport in 2001. Since then, it has been widely received by Chinese customers. Currently, there are 50 A319s in service in the Chinese fleet on the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.
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