Airline Identity
History
China Southern Airlines was established on 1 July 1988 as part of the breakup of the Civil Aviation Administration of China's operating divisions, began flying under its own name in 1991, and became fully independent on 10 October 1993. It grew into one of China's 'Big Three' carriers alongside Air China and China Eastern, and joined the SkyTeam alliance as its eleventh member in November 2007.
Current Operations
China Southern left SkyTeam on 1 January 2019 and now operates without a major global alliance affiliation, though it maintains a frequent-flyer partnership with American Airlines established in 2019. Based at hubs in Guangzhou and Beijing Daxing, it runs a very large domestic and regional network reportedly covering more than 190 destinations in over 30 countries, with a mixed Airbus and Boeing fleet (including subsidiaries and cargo units) exceeding 900 aircraft as of late 2025. It retired its Airbus A380 fleet by November 2022 and has reportedly been planning to sell its Boeing 787s by 2026 amid slower long-haul demand recovery.
Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.