Mesa Air Group has signed a joint-venture agreement with
Shenzhen Airlines to create a regional airline in China. The new carrier—the name of
which is yet to be set—will begin scheduled service within 12 months, according
to a statement issued by Mesa.
The new carrier will start by operating 50-seat regional jets on domestic
routes in China; focus
cities include Beijing, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Nanjing, Kunming, Dalian, Xian and Zhengzhou. Shenzhen
Airlines, founded in 1992, operates 100 routes within China and Southeast Asia;
it is based in Shenzhen. Mesa's operations encompass 43 states in the U.S. as
well as Canada, Mexico and
the Bahamas.
It operates as America West
Express, Delta Connection, US Airways Express and United Express, as well as Mesa Airlines. In June,
it launched inter-island service in Hawaii
as Go! Visit [www.mesa-air.com].