China United Airlines

China United Airlines
中国联合航空
IATA ICAO Call sign
KN CUA LIANHANG
Founded25 December 1986 (1986-12-25)
Operating bases
Fleet size56[1]
Destinations87[2]
Parent companyChina Eastern Airlines
HeadquartersBeijing Daxing International Airport, Daxing, Beijing
Websitewww.flycua.com
China United Airlines
Simplified Chinese中国联合航空
Traditional Chinese中國聯合航空
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōngguó liánhé hángkōng
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingzung1gwok3 lyun4hap6 hong4hung1

China United Airlines[a] is a low-cost airline headquartered at Beijing Daxing International Airport.[3] It is a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines.

History

China United Airlines was established in 1986 as an arm of the civil transport division of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. In 2000, China United Airlines spent US$120 million to buy a Boeing 767-300ER, which was previously ordered by Delta Air Lines, as Jiang Zemin's private jet. Several days before its first flight, covert listening devices were found installed in the toilet, corridor, and even in Jiang's headboard. The devices were believed to be controlled and monitored by satellite. The Central Intelligence Agency, the United States Embassy in China, and China United Airlines refused to comment on this incident.[4][5] The specific aircraft was sold to Air China. It operated for over a decade in Air China's fleet and was sold to the Sunday Airlines of Kazakhstan in 2014 after its retirement.

In November 2002, all scheduled services were ceased, followed by a full suspension of flight operations in 2003 due to a Chinese governmental regulation prohibiting the Army from being directly involved in commercial activities. On 4 June 2005, the Civil Aviation Administration of China approved the relaunch of the airline, with Shanghai Airlines holding 80 percent of the stake, as well as China Aviation Supplies Holding Company as a secondary shareholder. Even though China United Airlines has since then lost its military status, it is uniquely still permitted to use military air bases as destinations, in contrast to other Chinese airlines and other airlines in general.

China United Airlines was acquired by China Eastern Airlines in 2010 as the result of China Eastern's merger with its parent company, Shanghai Airlines.[6] While Shanghai Airlines website has been integrated into the China Eastern website, China United Airlines continues to have its own website though it only use Chinese language.

With the opening of Beijing Daxing International Airport on 26 September 2019, China United Airlines began service from the new airport as its main hub and ceased service from Beijing Nanyuan Airport, which was its main operating base since its foundation.[7][8]

Corporate

The headquarters is on the grounds of Beijing Daxing International Airport in Daxing, Beijing.[9] Previously, the headquarters were in Fengtai.[10][11] The customer service center is in Xinhua, Shijiazhuang, Hebei.[12]

Destinations

As of April 2026, the airline flies to 87 destinations in China, Russia and Laos.[13]

Fleet

China United Airlines Boeing 737-800 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport

As of August 2025, China United Airlines operates the following aircraft:[14]

China United Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Boeing 737-700 5 — 144
Boeing 737-800 55 — 186 2 aircraft transferred from China Eastern 737-800s replaced 2 others that were retired in December 2025.
Total 60 —
China United Airlines Tupolev Tu-154M

Special liveries

China United Airlines has a total of 7 special livery aircraft in service, all of which are named after cities in China:

Notes

  1. ↑ simplified Chinese: 中国联合航空; traditional Chinese: 中國聯合航空; pinyin: Zhōngguó liánhé hángkōng

References

  1. ↑ "关于联航".
  2. ↑ "China United Airlines on ch-aviation.com". ch-aviation.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "China Eastern Airlines turns Beijing unit into budget carrier". Yahoo News Singapore. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  4. ↑ BBC:江泽民专机险遭窃听. BBC Chinese (in Simplified Chinese). 19 January 2002.
  5. ↑ China finds spy bugs in Jiang's Boeing jet by Damien McElroy and David Wastell; The Daily Telegraph
  6. ↑ 关于联航 [About United Airlines] (in Chinese). China United Airlines. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  7. ↑ 中国联合航空将于2019年9月26日整体搬迁至北京大兴国际机场运行。原北京南苑机场始发及到达的所有航班均改至北京大兴国际机场。已购买2019年9月26日（含）以后客票的旅客，将在北京大兴国际机场出发或到达。请您仔细查看出行日期，以免影响您的行程。. China United Airlines (in Chinese (China)).
  8. ↑ 再见百年南苑，南苑机场正式结束民航运营 (in Chinese (China)). 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  9. ↑ "联系我们". China United Airlines. Retrieved 29 March 2022. 办公地址：北京市大兴区大兴国际机场东航基地A2
  10. ↑ 联系我们. China United Airlines. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012. 北京市丰台区警备东路６号西区一号院
  11. ↑ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 1–7 April 1998. 57. "No 14 Xisanhuan Nanlu, Beijing, 100073, China" (making it 西三环南路14号)
  12. ↑ "客户服务热线". China United Airlines. Retrieved 29 March 2022. 通信地址 河北省石家庄市新华区友谊北大街369号 中联航客户服务中心（收）邮编：050061
  13. ↑ "China United Flights and Destinations". www.flightconnections.com. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - China United Airlines". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 55.
  15. ↑ 首架国画涂装“安顺黄果树号”航班首航. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese (China)). 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  16. ↑ 中联航包头号亮相系全球首架唐艺屏风画涂装 (in Chinese (China)). NetEase Aviation. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  17. ↑ 中国联航“日照号”亮相 被赞彩绘飞机“扛把子”. Civil Aviation Resource Net of China (in Chinese (China)). 12 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  18. ↑ 中联航“兴义号”城市主题彩绘机揭开面纱. Civil Aviation Resource Net of China (in Chinese (China)). 31 July 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  19. ↑ 东航云南机务喷涂中联航“庆阳号”获2019全球经典彩绘飞机十强榜魁. CAAC News (in Chinese (China)). 15 February 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  20. ↑ 腾云驾雾！刚刚，全球首架西游主题彩绘客机“连云港号”首航！. Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (in Chinese (China)). 8 September 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
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