East Star Airlines

"East Star" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Star East or Star of the East (disambiguation).
East Star Airlines
東星航空
IATA ICAO Callsign
8C DXH EAST STAR
Founded 2005
Ceased operations 15 March 2009 [1]
Operating bases Wuhan Tianhe International Airport
Parent company East Star Airlines Company Limited
Headquarters Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China

East Star Airlines (Chinese: 東星航空) was an airline based in Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China. It was a privately owned airline and operated scheduled domestic services on 10 routes from Wuhan, and was expected to add more routes as its fleet grew. Its main base was at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.[2] In July 2007, it was granted rights to operate international services after only a year of service, the first privately owned Chinese airline to be granted permission to operate international flights before Civil Aviation Administration of China's (CAAC) requirement of three-year service.[3]

History

The airline received its air operator's certificate from the CAAC on 10 June 2005, and started operations on 19 May 2006. It was wholly owned by the China East Star Group and had 541 employees (at March 2007).[2] Its inaugural flight was from Wuhan to Shenzhen using its first Airbus A319.[4]

On 15 March 2009, the airline announced that it was suspending its flights indefinitely.[1][5] On 30 March 2009, the airline was liquidated by the Wuhan Mid-Court.

On 27 August 2009, the airline officially went bankrupt, after the Intermediate People's Court of Wuhan rejected its last restructuring plan because the investment firm ChinaEquity that had promised to invest between CNY 200 and 300 million, did not specify the source of the funding, failed to provide certificates and documents, and lacked measures to protect creditors, the court stated.[6]

Destinations

East Star Airlines Airbus A319

East Star Airlines destinations included (at March 2009):

City Country Airport Ref Notes
ChangdeChina Changde Airport [4]
ChangshaChina Changsha Huanghua International Airport[4]
ChongqingChina Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport[4]
DalianChina Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport[4]
GuangzhouChina Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport[4]
GuilinChina Guilin Liangjiang International Airport[4]
HaikouChina Haikou Meilan International Airport[4]
HangzhouChina Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport[4]
Hong KongHong Kong Special Administrative Region Hong Kong International Airport[4]
MacauMacau Special Administrative Region Macau International Airport[4]
NanjingChina Nanjing Lukou International Airport[4]
QingdaoChina Qingdao Liuting International Airport[4]
SanyaChina Sanya Phoenix International Airport[4]
ShanghaiChina Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport[4]
ShenyangChina Shenyang Taoxian International Airport[4]
ShenzhenChina Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport[4]
TianjinChina Tianjin Binhai International Airport[4]
WuhanChina Wuhan Tianhe International Airport [4] Base
Xi'anChina Xi'an Xianyang International Airport[4]
XiamenChina Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport[4]
ZhengzhouChina Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport[4]

Fleet

An Airbus A320 of East Star parking at Xiamen Airport

The East Star Airlines fleet included the following aircraft (at 2 March 2009):[7]

East Star Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Notes
Airbus A319-100 3
Airbus A320-200 6
Total 9

On 27 November 2005, the airline signed a Letter of Intent with Airbus for the purchase of 10 Airbus A320s plus a firm lease deal with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) for another 10 Airbus A320s. The aircraft were to be delivered in batches from the second quarter of 2006.[8]

References

External links

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