Summary
- Xiamen Airlines will resume flights to JFK in May using its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet for a twice-weekly service.
- The airline will also reduce frequencies between Xiamen and Los Angeles.
- Xiamen first launched flights to New York in 2017.
Xiamen Airlines, also known as XiamenAir, is set to resume flights to New York JFK this summer. The airline plans to launch a twice-weekly service between Fuzhou and New York from May 6th.
Xiamen to restart JFK flights in May
As first reported by aeroroutes, the carrier has filed a proposed schedule for May 2024 that would see it restart flights to New York JFK Airport (JFK). The airline will operate flights out of its base at Fuzhou Changle International Airport (FOC), while the return leg from New York will involve a technical stop at Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC).
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The Chinese carrier will operate two weekly flights (Mondays and Fridays) on this route, which will be flown by its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. The schedule is as follows:
- MF 849 – Departs Fuzhou at 09:20, arrives in New York at 11:55.
- MF 850 – Departs New York at 13:55, arrives in Urumqi at 16:35+1. Then departs Urumqi at 17:35, arrives in Fuzhou at 22:45.
Xiamen Airlines first launched flights between Fuzhou and New York in February 2017 but suspended flights over the pandemic. With the US Department of Transportation (DOT) now authorizing more flights from China to the US at the end of this month, Chinese carriers are free to restart services that have been on hiatus for years. However, before the pandemic, airlines were operating over 150 weekly flights between the two countries, which is three times more than what will be allowed from March 31st.
New York and LA
Along with its proposed New York route, Xiamen will serve the US West Coast’s largest city, Los Angeles (LAX). From March 31, the airline will operate five weekly flights between its base in Xiamen (XMN) and LAX. However, it will reduce to three weekly services from May 6th to accommodate the two New York frequencies.
The carrier first flew this LA route in the summer of 2017, at which point it also operated flights between Xiamen-Shenzhen-Seattle and Fuzhou-New York. It first launched flights to Seattle in September 2016, followed by its route to New York in February 2017.
Xiamen’s Dreamliners
The airline has a fleet of 12 787 Dreamliners equally split between six 787-8s and six 787-9s. Its 787-8 planes are configured with three cabin classes and can seat up to 237 passengers – four in first class, 18 in business, and 215 in economy. Its larger 787-9’s can carry 287 passengers, with 30 in business and 257 in economy.
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock
The airline inducted its first 787-8 in August 2014 and would initially fly this variant for two years before taking its first 787-9 in December 2016. Its Dreamliner fleet is still relatively youthful with an average age of under eight years old, according to data from ch-aviation.
Have you ever flown on one of Xiamen Airlines’ Boeing 787 Dreamliners? Let us know your stories in the comments.
