Hainan Airlines, one of China’s major aviation companies, is extensively engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative, launching air routes to enhance economic and cultural communications by connecting China and the rest of the world.

Founded in 1993, Hainan Airlines now has a fleet of over 1,250 aircraft servicing more than 1,100 routes and transporting some 92 million passengers annually in China and across the globe.

In an exclusive interview, Hainan Airlines President Sun Jianfeng told CGTN the company has now launched 29 routes connecting Chinese cities to the Belt and Road regions, including direct flights from Beijing to Manchester, Beijing to Tel Aviv, and Haikou to Hanoi last year alone.

“This year we’ll continue to open new destinations, for example, Shanghai Pudong to Tel Aviv, and Shanghai to some (other) European cities. Also we’re starting a lot of new routes from south China, for example, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Haikou to some destinations in Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.”