China's Jiuyuan Airlines has committed to 50 Boeing 737 aircraft, including the re-engined variant, as it prepares to launch operations later this year.
The upcoming low-cost carrier, to be based in Guangzhou, is a subsidiary of Juneyao Airlines.
No financial details of the deal or its delivery schedule are available. It is understood that the commitment still has to be approved by the Chinese regulator.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China had previously said that Jiuyuan, also known as 9 Air, will operate a fleet of Airbus A320s. Its dominant shareholder, Shanghai-based Juneyao operates a fleet of 34 A320 family aircraft, mostly within China, and also has regional services to cities in Taiwan, Korea and Thailand.
With this commitment however, Jiuyuan is poised to become an all Boeing operator.
Jiuyuan is a joint venture between Juneyao, businessman Ji Guang Ping (who will be Jiuyuan’s executive vice president), and Chinese firms Elion Resources Group and Macrolink Group.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
