Hainan Airlines Co Ltd, the fourth largest carrier in China by fleet size, took possession of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on Thursday in North Charleston where the second assembly line of the aircraft is located. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Hainan Airlines Co Ltd, the fourth largest carrier in China by fleet size, took possession of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on Thursday in North Charleston where the second assembly line of the aircraft is located.

The carrier, which is the second Chinese airlines flying the Boeing 787, ordered 10 Dreamliners.

The aircraft will first be operated on a domestic route from Beijing to Haikou, the airlines said in a release. Thereafter, the airline will deploy Dreamliners on its North American routes, increasing the frequency of its services from Beijing to Seattle, Toronto and Chicago, with several new destinations.

"The 787 will allow Hainan Airlines to open new routes from Beijing to North America and provide our unique 'Eastern-style' five-star in-flight experience for global passengers," said Mu Weigang, vice-chairman of Hainan Airlines.

China Southern Airlines Co Ltd received its first Dreamliner on June 2, making it the first carrier in China with the model.