Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport recently celebrated the inaugural flight of China’s Xiamen Airlines from Fuzhou to New York City.
The inaugural flight was celebrated at T4 with a ribbon cutting and commemorative remarks by Mr. de Graaff; Zhang Qiyue, the Consul General of China in New York; Michael Moran, General Manager of JFK for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and Cai Shunchu, Xiamen Airlines’ Deputy General Manager. The ceremony included an authentic Chinese lion dance.
The route will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 287 seats, and will have three direct flights per week. Xiamen Airlines – a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines and a member of the Skyteam alliance – is the only Chinese airline operating an all-Boeing fleet.
“We are delighted to welcome Xiamen Airlines to Terminal 4,” said Gert-Jan de Graaff, president and CEO of JFKIAT. “As a gateway to New York City and the United States, this relationship will continue to strengthen international ties with China, and promote business, cultural growth and tourism between our two countries.”
With the addition of Xiamen Airlines, Terminal 4 is now home to 33 international and domestic carriers, and serves more than 20.6 million passengers per year.
