Air Travel, originally named Hongtu Airlines, received preliminary approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 26 March 2015.^[3] In October 2015, the airline's livery was revealed. The red color represents the famous red earth of Dongchuan District in Yunnan Province; in fact, Hongtu in the airline's name, is a transliteration of Chinese: 红土; lit. 'red soil'.^[4]

On 22 December 2015, Hongtu Airlines took delivery of its first aircraft, an Airbus A321 originally destined for UTair Aviation.^[5] The aircraft is named Dai after the Dai people, an ethnic minority in Yunnan Province.^[6] Hongtu Airlines held an inauguration ceremony on 20 May 2016 and began flights the following day,^[7] with the inaugural flight operating between Kunming and Nanchang.^[8]

The airline underwent a branding change in 2018: its English name became Air Travel,^[9] whilst retaining the name 红土航空; 'red soil airline' in Chinese. The company then changed its local name to Hunan Airlines (湖南航空公司) in 2021 following its move to Hunan Province, but retained the name 'Air Travel' in English.

Hongtu Airlines is headquartered near Changsha Huanghua International Airport.^[10] The airline is a joint venture between Kunming Evergreen Financing (30%); local entrepreneur Tang Longcheng (20%); and five other companies, each holding 10%. The parties have invested a total of CNY600 million (USD96.6 million) in the airline.^[4][5]

As of December 2017, Hongtu Airlines flies to the following destinations in China:^[11]

The Hongtu Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2019:^[12]

• Official website
• Photos from inaugural flight, 21 May 2016^{[permanent dead link]}