Hainan Airlines went all out and used an official ceremony for the China-Belgium Economic and Trade Cooperation held in Beijing to announce their next step.
Hainan Airlines signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Brussels Airport at the signing ceremony for the China-Belgium Economic and Trade Cooperation held in Beijing on October 31, in the presence of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. During the ceremony, the two companies announced the launch of new Shanghai-Brussels flight service, scheduled to commence in 2017. Zhang Ling, chairman of HNA Tourism Group, and Sun Jianfeng, a member of the executive management team at Hainan Airlines, attended the event along with Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist.