Originally Posted by
Logohu
Xi'an may not seem the most obvious next choice. However a quick check reveals that whilst Xi'an is "only" the 9th largest conurbation in China it still has a population of nearly 14 million - that's double the size of Hong Kong SAR and almost three times that of the country of Singapore ! It just goes to illustrate the sheer size of the Chinese market.
Unlike some of the larger Chinese conurbations Xi'an also has attractions for the overseas tourist, being home to the famous Terracotta warriors. Xi'an has two runways, three terminals and over 30m passengers annually. It's a "focus city" for Hainan and apart from an impressive list of domestic connections they already have flights to a number of international cities including seasonal service to Sydney, so it could potentially become an interesting stopover on the way to Australia for those looking for something different. It will be interesting to see what actually happens
Flown both into and out of Xi'An airport and it's pretty nice. The city itself does have a lot to offer for tourists and I can see this being a good hub for connections within China as you say.
The big problem with connecting in Beijing is that the airport is really congested. Xi'An is far less so.
Hainan are also an inventive forward thinking airline. I preferred them to some of the other Chinese Airlines I flew on. I hope they do well at MAN.