HNA Group, which turned to the Hainan provincial government for assistance, has become the largest enterprise in the province after the takeover. The company said it would continue to launch new domestic and international flights connecting other cities with Haikou and Sanya in the province.

This year, Hainan Airlines will launch new international flights connecting Haikou and Seoul, and Sanya and Incheon, South Korea. Leveraging customer flows brought by local tourism resources and duty free shopping, the airline will further improve nearby networks within four hours of flight, it said.

By 2022, Hainan Airlines is expected to launch more than 40 international flights, in support of the goal for Hainan to open 100 international flights and attract 2 million inbound tourists in the next three to five years, the company said in a statement released on Monday.

Currently, the 11 carriers under HNA, including Tianjin Airlines and Capital Airlines, account for 46 percent of market share in Hainan.

Haikou Meilan International Airport, the hub airport of Haikou, is under its second-phase project construction. At present, installation of the terminal luggage checking system, air conditioning and boarding bridges has been completed. It will help Hainan with civil aviation capacity expansion, accelerate construction of the Hainan free trade port.