Chinese carrier to grow Airbus fleet.

Privately-owned Chinese low-cost carrier Spring Airlines plans to grow its fleet to 100 Airbus A320 Aircraft by 2015 from 13 now, list shares, and introduce international services.

The carrier hopes to initially acquire 30 Airbus A320s over the next two years, of which 16 will be purchased and 14 leased, says a company spokesman.

"If we buy 16, these can be delivered over the next two years by 2011," he says. As for the 14 aircraft to be leased, Spring is speaking with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) and a "Singapore-based leasing company."

Spring also plans to list shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange before next year's Shanghai Expo, which will run from 1 May 2010 to 31 October 2010.

"This period offers the best chance for good demand," says the spokesman.

He adds that Spring has permission from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to operate international services, and hopes to start them before the Expo begins. Some of the possible destinations include Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

According to Flight's ACAS database, the carrier serves a domestic network of around two dozen destinations from its base at Shanghai's domestic Hongqiao Airport, with hubs at Shanghai-Pudong and Sanya.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news