Qingdao Airlines (QW, Qingdao Jiaodong) is set to receive its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) ahead of a planned launch of its scheduled operations on April 27, 2014.

Using two CRJ700s sourced from Shandong Airlines (SC, Jinan) and three leased A320-200s, WCARN reports that the airline's initial routes will cover Qingdao Jiaodong to Guangzhou and Chengdu Shuangliu.

The start-up plans to expand to its fleet to at least 51 aircraft by 2020 with an order with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) having been placed last September for five A320ceo and eighteen A320neo, the first of which will be delivered in 2016.