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Daily flights to Sanya planned

BEIJING, Nov. 16 -- Shanghai-based Spring Airlines Co, China's first budget carrier, said it will begin daily service from the city to Sanya, one of the country's hottest tourist destinations, starting Saturday.

Packages for the Hainan Island route will combine airfare with accommodations, the company said yesterday, without divulging prices.

"It depends on which hotel you choose," said Li Weimin, a Spring Air spokesman.

The airline made the announcement after receiving its second Airbus A320 at Hongqiao International Airport yesterday afternoon.

Spring will also begin three flights a week from Shanghai to Kunming in Yunnan Province and another three from Shanghai to Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.

"The new aircraft will help us cut costs by 5 percent given the expanded capacity," said Wang Zhenghua, chairman of Spring Airlines, a subsidiary of Spring International Travel Services Co, a major private travel agency.

He said a third plane will be put into service next month and that the carrier is expected to break even next year.

"The arrival of the third A320 carrier will help us cut operational costs by an additional 7 percent," he said.

Spring Air, which started service on July 18 by offering discounts up to 80 percent on 10 percent of its seats, said it will provide 50,000 deeply discounted tickets next year.

The company also revealed it is in talks with Asiana Airlines on a plan for cooperation.