It just got a lot easier to make connections in southwest China.  Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines, a joint venture between Tianjin Airlines and the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Investment Group, marked its inauguration with an E190 flight from Nanning to Haikou on February 13.

The new carrier goes by the name GX Airlines, an abbreviation of Guangxi Province in southwest China, and is based in Nanning.  The distinctive red livery markings reflect the colour of the rosebush, the official flower of the city of Nanning.

GX Airlines is the first local carrier in the Guangxi Zhuang Minority Autonomous Region, an area that borders the Beibu Gulf and Vietnam.  The one-hour, 375 km flight linked the two key cities in Guangxi and Hainan provinces.

The airline expects to expand its fleet to five E190s in the coming months and focus on domestic routes.  By the end of 2015, GX plans to have ten E190s and operate scheduled service on at least two international routes to ASEAN cities.

(L) Mr. Chen Wei, Director, CAAC Guangxi Safety Oversight Bureau hands over the Airline Operating Certificate to Mr. Wu Chongyang, Chairman and President of GX Airlines.