China’s JoyAir looks to shift main operating base

JoyAir (JR, Tianjin) is set to change its main hub from Tianjin, in northern China, to Xi’an Xianyang in the northwest, an application to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has revealed. Comments are due by December 25. The shift comes as JoyAir looks to step up its role in Xi’an and, by extension, Shaanxi Province’s aviation market. According to the ch-aviation capacities module, Xi’an is the carrier’s second most trafficked airport with 21 weekly departures proferring 2,947 seats. Changsha Huanghua is its main gateway with 32 weekly departures offering 4,445 seats. Tianjin is a relic of Joy Air’s AVIC-dominated past and does not even feature in its present-day network. Joy Air was founded by AVIC in 2008. However, in November 2018, the Shaanxi Provincial government, the Xi’an City municipality, and AVIC signed an agreement wherein Xi’an Aerospace Investment Co. became the airline’s controlling shareholder. As it stands, Joy Air’s shareholding sees Xi’an Aerospace Investment Co. with 65%, JoyAir Holdings (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AVIC) with 24%, Okay Airways (BK, Tianjin) with 5%, and the Beijing Xingfu Zhongzhi Investment Management Co.with 6%. Joy Air operates a fleet of twenty-five MA-60s and two B737-800s from 10 bases around China.