Shenzhen Airlines has become a member of the Star Alliance.

The Chinese carrier was officially inducted into the alliance at a ceremony held at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport this week, attended by Star’s CEO Mark Schwab and Shenzhen Airlines’ President, Feng Gang.

“Shenzhen Airlines is China’s fifth largest carrier and strengthens the Star Alliance presence in China and across Asia. Our customers now benefit from improved access throughout the economically important Pearl River Delta and across southern China. Shenzhen Airlines at the same time gains access to a global network with enhanced benefits for its passengers; truly a win-win situation,” said Schwab.

The addition of Shenzhen Airlines is part of Star Alliance’s strategy to expand in emerging markets. It becomes the alliance’s second Chinese member, following Air China – the parent company of Shenzhen Airlines.

“Today is filled with joy for all of us at Shenzhen Airlines. After 16 months of integration work, we have become a Star Alliance member. We know that today no single airline alone can tend to the needs of the international traveller. By joining Star Alliance we can now offer our customers global reach, while at the same time placing Shenzhen firmly on the map of world-wide air travel. We are proud to proclaim that Shenzhen Airport, serving the fourth largest city in China, is now the newest Star Alliance Hub, from which we will make our mark not only in China, but across the Asia Pacific region,” said Feng.

Shenzhen Airlines’ membership adds some 400 daily flights to the Star Alliance network. Among these are five new destinations in China: Juzhou, Linyi, Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang and Zhoushan. The 27 Star Alliance member carriers now offer more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,329 destinations in 194 countries.

Shenzhen Airlines membership of Star comes just weeks after Xiamen Airlines teamed up with SkyTeam, which also counts China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines among its members.

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