Tianjin Airlines plans to further expand its international reach this year by launching two long-haul routes: Xi'an-London, and Tianjin-Chongqing-Melbourne and the company started its first global recruitment operation in London last week, looking to hire 20 flight attendants in the United Kingdom.

Wen Ge, Tianjin Airlines spokesman, said the airline expects to hire 200 flight attendants during the coming two or three years.

After London, the recruitment campaign will move to Canada, New Zealand and Japan.

"With Tianjin Airlines' international development, we have more and more international passengers. We aim to offer first-class cabin services to all of our customers," Wen said.

Last year, Tianjin Airlines launched several new long-haul routes: Tianjin-Chongqing-London, Tianjin-Moscow, and Tianjin-Chongqing-Auckland. The Tianjin-Chongqing-London route is already profitable, Wen said.

Chen Dongsheng, general manager of Tianjin Airlines' London office, said the recruitment in London had attracted 360 candidates, with the "higher-than-average salary" a key attraction.

Around 100 non-Chinese pilots work at Tianjin Airlines, the company said.

Tianjin Airlines was established by Hainan Airlines Group and the Tianjin government in 2009. The company has a fleet of 90 aircraft and operates 220 domestic routes and 30 international ones.

Parent company Hainan Airlines is one of the largest airlines in China and has a workforce of more than 10,000, according to caacnews.com.cn, a website under China's civil aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Hainan Airlines has more than 400 foreign pilots and flight attendants. Last year, it launched direct flights between Beijing and Manchester.