Okay Airways to merge regional ops with Joy Air's

Okay Airways (BK, Tianjin) is to merge its regional operations with those of JoyAir (JR, Xi'an Xianyang) following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding last week China's Sina news agency has reported.

"While it is known that Okay Airways and Joy Air's regional aviation businesses are not profitable, the purpose of establishing Joy Air was to use it as a means of independently researching and developing the local aircraft industry's regional aircraft - the MA-60 - to carry out regional business," a source said. "So it will not be giving up its regional operations."

Regulatory and government approvals aside, the integration is expected to go ahead by the end of the year with all Okay MA-60s being transferred to JoyAir.

JoyAir currently operates a fleet of eight MA-60s on flighst throughout China while Okay Airways operates one B737-300(F), thirteen B737-800s, three B737-900s, and thirteen MA-60s on flights not only throughout China, but also to South Korea and Thailand.

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