Okay Airways hopes to launch new Chinese regional carrier Longjiang Airlines

Tianjin-based Okay Airways (OKA) is seeking approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to launch a new regional carrier—to be named Longjiang Airlines—with the Heilongjiang local government, as it explores the regional market in Northeast China.

“We have submitted our application to the regulator several months ago but so far we are still waiting for green lights,” OKA SVP Liu Jieyin said, without giving details on its ownership structure. According to Liu, the new regional entity will be based in Harbin and will operate regional routes in the Heilongjiang Province and its neighboring province in northeast China.

OKA has 16 aircraft in its fleet, comprising nine Boeing 737s, six MA-60s and one 737 freighter. If the regulator approves the regional carrier, Liu said Longjiang Airlines will operate all six MA-60 aircraft from OKA. If the carrier is successful, OKA hopes to introduce 100 MA-60s in the next 10-15 years to launch more regional carriers based in the Hunan and Anhui provinces, Liu said.

(Katie Cantle - ATWOnline News)