Xiamen Airlines has marked the 40th anniversary of its first flight by holding a special ceremony at its Xiamen headquarters in China. The carrier, which is the country’s seventh largest in terms of passengers carried annually, operates over 160 aircraft in its fleet and is one of the few privately owned airlines in China.
Established in 1984 in the city of Xiamen, the airline maintains major hubs in Xiamen, Hangzhou, and Fuzhou, with the additional focus cities of Tianjin, Nanchang, Changsha, Chongqing, and Quanzhou. Additionally, Xiamen Airlines is also a member of the global SkyTeam Alliance.
Marking the milestone in a letter issued to Xiamen Airlines employees, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his congratulations to the airline and expressed his hopes for continued success for the carrier. Meanwhile, Zhao Dong, Chairman of Xiamen Airlines, remarked that the president’s words mean both the highest honor the company has received and the “greatest responsibility awaiting fulfillment” by the airline and its future aspirations.
Zhao Dong went on to comment that Xiamen Airlines plans to stick to its new vision for the future and “play a bigger role in promoting economic and social development, enhancing cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, turbocharging high-quality development in the civil aviation industry, and boosting China’s strength in transportation.”
Also during the ceremony, Xiamen Airlines was issued the honorary title of ‘Xiamen Airlines Pioneers in Entrepreneurship’, while a blueprint document detailing the carrier’s future growth strategy (known as the ‘Framework Agreement on Joint Support for Deepening Reform of Xiamen Airlines’) was signed.
Before the ceremony itself, the company launched a publicity campaign for the renowned Bagua Mansion on Kulangsu Island, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. The campaign features a white paper on corporate social responsibility (CSR), plus the announcement of the airline’s intention to strengthen cooperation with the UN Global Compact China Office to include five major initiatives to “propel sustainable development fly for a better world”.
According to ch-aviation, Xiamen Airlines’ fleet comprises 15 Airbus A321neos, six Boeing 737-700s, 117 737-800s, 13 737 MAX 8s, plus one 737-800 freighter. On the widebody side, the carrier has six 787-8s and a similar number of 787-9s. The company has a further 47 A320neo aircraft and 20 737 MAX 8s on order.
