Gatwick hoping – yet again – for a link to China, while most long-haul routes have failed

Gatwick has had a very low rate of success (other than low cost airline Norwegian) in getting any long-haul routes to significant places, and keeping them more than a short time.  Now an internal airline in China, Tianjin Airlines, is hoping to take delivery of three Airbus A330-200s in the coming months. Gatwick is one of the routes it will be trying out. Tianjin is hoping to introduce a twice-weekly link between Tianjin and Gatwick, via Chongqing from June 25th 2016. However, Tianjin is the huge port some 80 km south east of Beijing. Last August it suffered some very serious explosions at the port, which probably killed around 173 people and caused non-fatal injuries to almost 800 people. An AirportWatch member commented: “No one will want to fly to a port that exploded some 6 months ago. There is nothing there. Tianjin is an internal Chinese airline. Air China pulled out of Gatwick when they got slots at Heathrow. As soon as an LHR slot becomes available they’ll be off.” Airlines have axed routes from Gatwick in the two years 2011 to 2013 include Hong Kong Airlines, Air Asia X, Korean Air and US Airways. In 2015 Garuda and Vietnam Airlines also moved their flights from Gatwick to Heathrow.   
.

 

Tianjin Airlines expected to begin London flights

14.4.2016

The Chinese carrier will introduce a twice-weekly link between Tianjin and Gatwick, via Chongqing from June 25 with departures on Wednesdays and Saturdays, according to Routes Online.

The carrier is also planning to launch a four-times-weekly service via Tianjin Binhai International airport – the airline’s headquarters – to Vancouver from this summer.

Flights to Moscow are also earmarked for late June.

Tianjin Airlines will become the fourth Chinese carrier flying to the UK capital, following Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

The planned routes are believed to begin upon the delivery of three Airbus A330-200s in the coming months.

https://www.ttgmedia.com//news/news/tianjin-airlines-expected-to-begin-london-flights-4275
.


 

Tianjin Airlines confirms London as first long-haul destination

5 April 2016
Richard Maslen (Routes.com)

Tianjin Airlines was awarded licences by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) last year to introduce flights between Tianjin and both London and Vancouver in conjunction with Chongqing as well as services to Moscow from both Chinese cities. It now appears that with its first two A330s currently under assembly that is making final preparations for its long-haul launch. The first is due for delivery next month.

 

Chinese carrier Tianjin Airlines will become the latest of the country’s airlines to launch long-haul flights when it takes delivery of at least three Airbus A330-200s from the European manufacturer in the coming months.  These aircraft will be used to debut flights into Europe and North America with London expected to be the first destination to be served by the widebodied equipment.

The HNA Group subsidiary has been allocated up to 20 A330-200s to support growth from Tianjin as an alternative to the capacity constrained Beijing Capital International Airport. The city in northern coastal China and one of the five national central cities of China and in terms of urban population is the fourth largest in China, after Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.  However, it is its location just 143km southeast of China’s capital with efficient high-speed rail access that adds to its appeal.

Hainan Airlines has already identified Tianjin’s Binhai International Airport as an option for routing flights from other points in mainland China to North America and has previously outlined plans to provide links to both New York and Vancouver via the facility. However, it appears it will be its sister carrier that will be the first to introduce regular long-haul flights from the expanding airport.

Tianjin Airlines was awarded licences by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) last year to introduce flights between Tianjin and both London and Vancouver in conjunction with Chongqing as well as services to Moscow from both Chinese cities.  It now appears that with its first two A330s currently under assembly that is making final preparations for its long-haul launch. The first is due for delivery next month.

As revealed by our Airline Route blog this week, Tianjin Airlines will introduce its twice weekly link between Tianjin and London, via Chongqing from June 25, 2016. The carrier will serve Gatwick Airport in the UK capital with departures on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It is also planning to introduce a four times weekly link to Vancouver from this summer routing Chongqing – Tianjin – Vancouver once it receives its second and third A330s.  The flights to Moscow are also earmarked for launch from late June 2016 and will utilise Sheremetyevo Airport in the Russian capital.

Tianjin Airlines will become the fourth Chinese carrier flying to London, following Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Fellow HNA Group carrier, Hainan Airlines has also operated a charter programme to Birmingham and will launch scheduled flights this summer, with the introduction of a scheduled Beijing-Manchester route from June 10, 2016.

The young carrier is little known outside of its home market and has just seven years of operation under its current brand.  It was established in 2004 to bring together the regional activities of Hainan Airlines and the smaller China Xinhua Airlines, Chang An Airlines and Shanxi Airlines and received its operating certificate from CAAC in 2007.  It initially launched as Grand China Express Air, at the time the largest regional carrier in China, but was rebranded as Tianjin Airlines in June 2009.

http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/254110/tianjin-airlines-confirms-london-as-first-long-haul-destination/

.

Tianjin airport location map


The Tianjin explosions  (from Wikipedia)

The 2015 Tianjin explosions were a series of explosions that killed over one hundred people and injured hundreds of others which occurred at a container storage station at the Port of Tianjin on Wednesday, 12 August 2015.[4] The first two explosions occurred within 30 seconds of each other at the facility, which is located in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China.[5][6] The second explosion was far larger and involved the detonation of about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.[7] Fires caused by the initial explosions continued to burn uncontrolled throughout the weekend, repeatedly causing secondary explosions, with eight additional explosions occurring on Saturday, 15 August.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately known at first,[6] but an investigation concluded in February 2016 that an overheated container of dry nitrocellulose was the cause of the initial explosion.[8]

Poor coverage of the event and the emergency response to it received criticism.[9][10][11] The Chinese government also censored the internet and social media using the words “Tianjin” and “explosion”,[12] and announced it had taken down multiple websites for publishing “false” information.[13]

As of 12 September 2015, the official casualty report was 173 deaths,[2] 8 missing, and 797 non-fatal injuries.[3]

…. More at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Tianjin_explosions

.