China launches its first private airline

March 11, 2005 China's first private airline Okay Airlines (奥凯航空 Aòkǎi Hángkōng) took off on its maiden flight today from Tianjin (200km north of Beijing) to Changsha (in Hunan province, central China) to Kunming (in Yunnan province).

The airline tried to start last Saturday, but it had problems with the paperwork from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The price of a ticket was CNY 1,180 (US$ 143), but customers for the first flight got a 40% discount.

According to China Daily, three more private airlines will exist: Shanghai-based Spring International Airlines, Chengdu-based Eagle Airlines, and Gansu province-based Huaxia Airlines.