Loong Air: The Young Fleet of the Hangzhou Carrier

The fleet

Loong Air's most often cited strength is the age of its fleet: about 68 aircraft with an average age of just 5.4 years (2024 figure), all from the Airbus A320 family: A319, A320, A320neo and A321neo. A fleet this young and uniform reduces the risk of breakdowns and simplifies maintenance, an operational advantage more than an aesthetic one.

Routes and network

The network covers more than 170 Chinese cities and extends to international destinations in Southeast Asia and Central Asia, a relatively rapid expansion for an airline founded little more than ten years ago. Hangzhou remains the operational center of gravity, with most routes organized in a hub-and-spoke pattern from this airport.

Fares and service

Not being a pure low-cost carrier, Loong Air generally includes more services in the ticket price than Chinese budget airlines, while keeping competitive fares on domestic routes. On the newer international destinations frequencies are often reduced to a few weekly rotations, so rebooking flexibility in case of cancellation is a factor to check.

Loong Air is a good option for anyone departing from Hangzhou for second-tier Chinese cities or the new destinations in Southeast and Central Asia, less so for those who need high frequency on a specific international route, where services often remain only weekly. Always check the number of weekly frequencies on the international route you are interested in before building an itinerary with connections.