Air China

History

Air China was established on 1 July 1988 when Chinese authorities split the state carrier CAAC into several regional airlines, with Air China assigned the flag-carrier role on intercontinental routes. It grew through consolidation, including the 2002 acquisition of China Southwest Airlines and a controlling stake in Shenzhen Airlines taken in 2010, and listed on the Hong Kong and London stock exchanges in 2004. Air China joined Star Alliance in December 2007.

Current Operations

Air China runs an extensive domestic network alongside long-haul international routes spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas from its main hub at Beijing Capital International Airport, with a secondary hub in Chengdu. Its fleet mixes Airbus and Boeing narrowbody aircraft for domestic and regional flying with widebodies (777, 787, 747, A330, A350) on long-haul routes. The airline remains majority state-owned through China National Aviation Holding, with Cathay Pacific holding a minority stake, and is among the few carriers serving all six inhabited continents.

Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports94

Sample Routes8