The association incorporates largest private Chinese airline

Frankfurt, 15^th November 2016 As of now Hainan Airlines is a new member of the Board of Airlines Representatives in Germany (BARIG). The new BARIG member currently operates a fleet of 260 aircraft, including Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 long-haul jets. The corporation has around 13.000 employees and belongs to the HNA Group which is engaged in aviation, tourism and the hotel business.

The group has 18 further airlines at command that are mainly serving destinations in China. Furthermore, Hainan Airlines holds shares in prominent hotel chains such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts, NH Hotels, Carlson Rezidor and the service company SWISSPORT. Regarding European air traffic the HNA Group holds a participating interest in the Portuguese TAP, among others.

The flight destinations of Hainan Airlines are predominantly located in China but international destinations in Europe, North America and Australia are also served. The largest private Chinese airline with hubs in Beijing and Haikou on the southern Chinese island Hainan is thereby the only provider of a direct connection between Berlin-Tegel and the Chinese capital city Beijing.

Yulong Yang, General Manager of Hainan Airlines for Central Europe explains, “Hainan airlines, as Chinese airline belonging to a highly branched corporation of the travel industry, has great interest in cooperating with BARIG in Germany and Europe. We wish to contribute our prospects beneficially to the association, the air traffic community and of course our passengers.”

BARIG General Secretary Michael Hoppe states, “We are happy to welcome Hainan Airlines as new member of our association. Hainan Airlines is an expanding and well-placed player of the globally operating HNA Group. The airline – together with our other airlines from all over the world – strengthens the base of our association counting around 100 members as of today.”

BARIG e.V. (Board of Airline Representatives in Germany) represents the interests of around 100 national and international airlines in scheduled, charter and air cargo business. Since the foundation in 1951 the airline association works for the improvement of frame conditions in the aviation industry in Germany and is the key industry contact for politics, authorities, industry and media. Worldwide the BARIG member airlines transport around 1.7 billion passengers and more than 25 million tons of air cargo to over 1.500 destinations. Every year over 200 million passengers are traveling to and from Germany with BARIG airlines to more than 280 international destinations. The BARIG Airlines have over 105.000 employees in Germany. The overall aviation industry secures 823.000 workplaces and therefore is a major factor of the German economy.