Shenzhen Airlines established a branch in Guangzhou on Sunday.

It is the second airline to set up a base at the Guangzhou New Baiyun International Airport. The other airline is China Southern Airlines.

Since Guangzhou’s new airport was inaugurated in September 2004, Shenzhen Airlines has opened six flights from Guangzhou to Xi’an, Changsha and Guilin. It added six more flights from late March this year between Guangzhou and Harbin, Shenyang, Changchun, Dalian, Urumqi and Sanya.

The company has 134 flights a week departing Guangzhou to 12 cities throughout China.

According to a spokesperson surnamed Zhou, Guangzhou was strategically important to help the company expand its market.

Founded 13 years ago, Shenzhen Airlines has been growing fast into one of China’s most profitable airlines. So far, it has 27 Boeing 737 aircraft and operates more than 80 domestic flights and an international flight between Shenzhen and Kuala Lumpur.

Zhou said that this year and next, the company would increase the number of aircraft at the Guangzhou base to 17.

(Shenzhen Daily April 4, 2005)