Tianjin Airlines forms part of the HNA Group and will commence services from Tianjin to Moscow on 13th of June 2016, also marking the first European connection from Tianjin airport.
The weekly flight will depart Tianjin’s Binhai International Airport every Monday at 16:00, and arriving at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport at 19:30. The return flight will leave the Russian capital on the same day at 21:10 and get back to Tianjin at 09:30 the next day.
Tianjin Airlines will deploy its new Airbus A330 aircraft on the route. The carrier plans to take delivery of its first twin-aisle aircraft in early May, in preparation for its long-haul expansion. The aircraft will come equipped with 260 seats in a two-class configuration, with 18 seats in first class and 242 seats in economy. All passengers will be offered seat-back in-flight entertainment.
And following the launch of the new Moscow route, Tianjin Airlines will start flying from Tianjin to London on 25th of June this year, with the route operating via Chongqing. The airline also plans to launch flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles and San Francisco in the future.
At present, Tianjin Airlines operates a fleet of 87 single-aisle aircraft on domestic and short-haul international routes to countries including Japan, South Korea and Mongolia. The carrier will take delivery of three A330s this year, and plans to expand its long-haul fleet to 10 aircraft in the next five years.
Another HNA Group carrier, Capital Airlines, also embarked on its first long-haul flights last year, and Hainan Airlines will launch its first UK flights to Manchester Airport this summer.