Airline Identity
History
Hainan Airlines was established in 1989 as Hainan Province Airlines and became China's first joint-stock airline after a 1993 restructuring, taking its current name in 1996. It grew rapidly as the flagship carrier of the sprawling HNA Group conglomerate, expanding into a large domestic and international network before HNA Group's aggressive, debt-fuelled expansion led to a severe liquidity crisis in the late 2010s.
Current Operations
Hainan Airlines operates primarily domestic Chinese routes alongside a smaller set of international services, flying from a network of bases centered on Haikou and including Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen and Xi'an. It is not a member of a major global alliance but maintains bilateral codeshare partnerships with a number of international carriers, including Etihad Airways and Korean Air.
Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.