Chinese online travel giant Qunar, which has been hit with a revolt by Chinese airlines, plans to start its very own carrier.
Qunar will launch Shenhui Airlines, in partnership with a local firm, by investing an initial sum of CNY600 million (US$92 million).
It says it will remain a minority stakeholder.
The new airline will follow a low cost no frills business model and offer domestic services and short haul international flights in Asia.
Qunar will provide online distribution and ticketing for the airline, which will be based at Shenzhen Baoan International Airport.
Shenhui Airlines could be up and running by 2017 and targets a fleet size of 12 aircraft by 2019, Qunar said.
Late last year several Chinese airlines including China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Air China cut ties with the OTA over repeated customer complaints relating to added fees and its refund policy.
