Shenzhen Airlines was officially inducted into the Star Alliance at a special ceremony at its Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport on November 29, 2012. The carrier, the fifth largest operator in China, joins national airline Air China as a member of the global grouping and will further increase its presence in one of the world’s key markets as well as the wider Asian region.

“Our customers now benefit from improved access throughout the economically important Pearl River Delta and across southern China. Shenzhen Airlines at the same time gains access to a global network with enhanced benefits for its passengers; truly a win-win situation,” said Mark Schwab, Chief Executive Officer, Star Alliance.

Shenzhen Airlines’ entry is part of Star Alliance’s strategy of improving access to current and future growth markets, thus providing the international passengers with its member airlines more destinations and flight options. The alliance has had a footprint in China since its inception through the network of its initial members and this was expanded in December 2007 following the arrival of Air China, which has acted as a mentor.

“We are delighted to see that Shenzhen Airlines in the last 20 years has achieved substantial growth. We believe that Shenzhen Airlines will leverage alliance resources to improve its own competitiveness, and to realise its strategic target of being a large network carrier covering Asian and intercontinental destinations with its hub in Shenzhen,” said Wang Chengshun, Chairman, Air China.

Shenzhen Airlines will add some 400 daily flights to the Star Alliance network serving around 70 destinations. Among these are five new alliance destinations in China: Juzhou, Linyi, Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang and Zhoushan. On a global basis, the 27 Star Alliance member carriers now offer more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,329 destinations in 194 countries.

“Today is filled with joy for all of us at Shenzhen Airlines. After 16 months of integration work, we have become a Star Alliance member. By joining Star Alliance we can now offer our customers global reach, while at the same time placing Shenzhen firmly on the map of world-wide air travel. We are proud to proclaim that Shenzhen Airport, serving the 4th largest city in China, is now the newest Star Alliance hub, from which we will make our mark not only in China, but across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Feng Gang, President, Shenzhen Airlines.

In the table below we highlight the ten largest domestic points in the Shenzhen Airlines network this year along with its full international network.