United Continental (UAL) is making some big moves in China.
The airline has already added a nonstop flight to the city of Xi’an and will begin flying to Hangzhou later this summer, the Wall Street Journal reported.
United has plans to continue expanding in China as the country will soon overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest market for business travel.
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Chinese interest in flying to the United States is also on the rise. In fact, it’s reportedly doubled over the last five years. “It’s still a huge, hot economy,” said Brian Znotins, United’s vice president of network, in an interview with the Journal. “The middle class is really booming. And the secondary cities are the growth engine.”
Already, United has a partnership with Air China, which it will leverage as part of its commitment to servicing the country. There will likely be more cities added in the coming years, too, and potential perks for the carrier from China. “It’s not uncommon when we start a new route to have incentives,” said Znotins, although he declined to tell the newspaper more details on the subject.
United’s CEO Oscar Munoz recently returned to work after a five-month medical leave after he had a heart attack last October
Fortune has reached out to United for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
