Shanghai-based Spring Airlines, China's most profitable LCC, said it will launch a new four-times-weekly charter Airbus A320 Shanghai-Takamatsu service, part of a planned expansion in the Japanese market over the next few years. The carrier noted it would change the charter flights into scheduled flights when market conditions improve.

Spring reported net income of 470 million yuan (US$71 million) in 2010, nearly tripling its 2009 net profit of 158 million yuan. In January, it announced it would launch an IPO to help fund its fleet expansion.

Spurred on by its profitable Shanghai-Ibaraki route, on which load factors average 98%, Spring said it will accelerate its growth in Japan. It plans to open three or four new routes to Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu in the short term and open more than 20 new routes to Japan in the long term. A Spring spokesman also noted the LCC plans to open charter routes to Thailand and Indonesia this year.

Separately, Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines received approval to open routes to Japan and plans to launch Shanghai-Sapporo service this year.