Hainan to serve Asian cities

Hainan to serve Asian cities

BEIJING (Dow Jones): Hainan Airlines Co. plans to fly to select Asian destinations this year, a company official said Tuesday.

The Haikou-based company, which recently obtained a license to fly to Hong Kong, is doing market surveys on destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, the official who declined to be identified said.

"Everything will depend on our market survey," he said.

The Hong Kong flights will begin within the next six months "at the very least," he said.

China's civil aviation industry is expected to undergo restructuring this year. Of the 27 existing domestic airlines operating in the country, only a handful has been given license to fly overseas routes.