China Express Airlines (G5, Chongqing) has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for permission to begin international operations. According to official documents seen by the WCARN news site, China Express has now set its sights on opening up new routes to Russia, Japan, and South Korea from cities in Northeast China.
The passenger carrier currently serves fifty-nine destinations throughout China from bases at Chongqing, Dalian, Hohhot, and Guiyang. A new fifth base at Xi'an Xianyang is set to come online later this month.
To help bolster its anticipated growth abroad, China Express is reportedly looking to introduce larger narrowbody aircraft - including the Bombardier Aerospace C-Series - to compliment its existing fleet of nineteen CRJ900s.
Last year, the airline announced plans to overhaul its operations and reinvent itself as a Low Cost Carrier (LCC).
