Aviation History
Commercial aviation in China began in the late 1920s with early carriers such as the China National Aviation Corporation, a Chinese-American joint venture. After 1949, civil aviation was placed under the state-run Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which for decades acted as both regulator and sole operator. Economic reforms from the late 1970s onward led to the breakup of CAAC's direct airline operations in the late 1980s into what became China's major carriers. Since then China has built one of the world's largest domestic aviation markets and rapidly expanded airport infrastructure, while also developing an indigenous aircraft manufacturing industry through COMAC.
CNAC, a joint Chinese-American venture, began operating as one of China's earliest commercial airlines.
Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China was created to regulate and, initially, directly operate all civil air transport.
China's economic reform and opening-up policies, beginning in the late 1970s, set the stage for rapid expansion and eventual restructuring of civil aviation.
CAAC's direct airline operations were divided into separate regional carriers, forming the basis of Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern Airlines.
A major new terminal opened at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2008 Olympics, part of a broader wave of Chinese airport expansion.
The ARJ21 regional jet, developed by state-owned COMAC, entered commercial airline service, marking China's first indigenously developed jet airliner in operation.
The COMAC C919 narrow-body airliner began commercial passenger service with China Eastern Airlines, China's first large jet aimed at competing with Boeing and Airbus.
Air China · China Southern Airlines · China Eastern Airlines · Hainan Airlines
General aviation history and industry sources; China's market size rankings and the international certification/export status of COMAC aircraft may have changed since research date.