Shanghai-based Spring Airlines, a private Chinese low-cost carrier, has plans of flying overseas despite the depressed aviation picture on the Mainland and worldwide.
To finance fleet expansion and product enhancement, it intends to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in the second half of 2010. Foreign destinations eyed by Spring Airlines include Hongkong, Macau, Japan South Korea and Russia.
By adopting cost-cutting measures such as requiring cabin crew to perform cleaning jobs and selling inflight souvenirs, the carrier managed to sideswipe the recession. One of its marketing innovations, the “one-yuan” air ticket caught on with local travellers, and officials have been reported mulling “standing-room-only flights” (Ryanair recently proposed that some passengers stand on short-haul journeys).
Rival private jet operators East Star Airlines, Eagle United Airlines and Okay Airlines have not been as lucky, suffering bankruptcy and bailouts. Spring Airlines has not sold a stake to a third party or borrowed from the bank since launching in 2004.
For more details on the airline, visit http://en.china-sss.com/
Margie T Logarta
