Biggest Chinese Airlines Ranked by Fleet Size
Why This Matters: China has dozens of passenger airlines, but a relatively small group operates fleets measured in the hundreds of aircraft. Understanding the biggest Chinese airlines helps put the scale of the country’s aviation market, its major hubs and its airline groups into perspective.
For this ranking, “biggest” means the number of aircraft associated with each individual operating airline, rather than revenue, passenger numbers or the combined fleet of a parent group. Fleet figures were checked on 3 October 2026 and should be treated as a snapshot because aircraft regularly enter, leave or move between fleets.
Quick Ranking of the Biggest Chinese Airlines
China Southern Airlines is the largest mainland Chinese passenger airline by individual fleet size in this comparison, followed by China Eastern Airlines and Air China.
| Rank | Airline | Approx. Fleet Size | Primary Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Southern Airlines | 713 | Guangzhou |
| 2 | China Eastern Airlines | 678 | Shanghai |
| 3 | Air China | 530 | Beijing |
| 4 | Hainan Airlines | 233 | Haikou |
| 5 | Sichuan Airlines | 209 | Chengdu |
| 6 | Shenzhen Airlines | 208 | Shenzhen |
| 7 | XiamenAir | 176 | Xiamen |
| 8 | Shandong Airlines | ~143 | Jinan |
| 9 | Spring Airlines | 141 | Shanghai |
| 10 | Juneyao Air | 105 | Shanghai |
The counts use recent fleet listings from the Flightradar24 airline database. Small differences can appear between databases because of timing and the treatment of stored, leased or temporarily inactive aircraft.
What We Mean by Biggest
There is no single definition of China’s biggest airline. A carrier can be ranked by aircraft, passengers, available seats, revenue or network size, and those methods can produce different results. This list uses individual airline fleet size because it gives readers a relatively simple comparison and avoids combining subsidiaries with their parent companies. The scope is mainland Chinese passenger airlines, so Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan based carriers, as well as cargo-only operators, are outside this ranking.
Why China’s Big Three Sit So Far Ahead
The top of the ranking is dominated by three names: China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air China.
1. China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines ranks first with about 713 aircraft in the fleet snapshot used here. Headquartered in Guangzhou, the carrier has a substantial domestic network as well as international operations. Its scale also reflects the importance of southern China and the Pearl River Delta to the country’s aviation market.
2. China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines follows with roughly 678 aircraft. Its position in Shanghai gives it access to one of China’s largest business and travel markets, with operations centred on the city’s major airports. The carrier has also built an extensive domestic network connecting Shanghai with provincial capitals and other large Chinese cities.
3. Air China
Air China is third at about 530 aircraft on an individual airline basis. Its fleet is smaller than those of China Southern and China Eastern under this methodology, but Air China has a different distinction: it is China’s national flag carrier. The company is headquartered in Beijing, and its wider corporate group includes other airline businesses, so group-level fleet figures are considerably larger than the Air China operating fleet used in this ranking.
The Next Tier of Major Chinese Airlines
Below the Big Three, several airlines operate fleets large enough to make them significant players in China’s domestic and regional aviation market.
Hainan Airlines is fourth with roughly 233 aircraft. Based in Haikou, it stands apart from the three largest state-controlled airline groups while maintaining a substantial domestic and international network. Its fleet puts it comfortably ahead of most Chinese carriers outside the Big Three.
Sichuan Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines are closely matched, at about 209 and 208 aircraft respectively. Sichuan Airlines is centred on Chengdu, a major aviation market in western China, while Shenzhen Airlines serves one of the country’s most commercially important southern cities. Their scale illustrates why looking only at the three largest airlines can give an incomplete picture of Chinese aviation.
XiamenAir follows with about 176 aircraft. Shandong Airlines and Spring Airlines sit close together at roughly 143 and 141 aircraft, while Juneyao Air rounds out the top 10 with about 105. Spring Airlines is particularly notable for its low-cost operating model, which differs from the traditional full-service approach of many airlines higher on the list.
What Fleet Size Does and Does Not Tell You
Fleet size is useful for comparing physical operating scale, but it should not be confused with market share or financial size. An airline with more aircraft may operate smaller aircraft, fly different route lengths or use its fleet at a different intensity from a competitor. Passenger volumes, capacity, revenue and route coverage can therefore produce another ordering. Fleet counts also move throughout the year as airlines receive new aircraft, retire older models and adjust leases, which is why any ranking of the largest airlines in China should include a date and a clear methodology.
FAQ
What Is the Biggest Chinese Airline?
China Southern Airlines is the biggest mainland Chinese passenger airline by individual fleet size in this October 2026 comparison, with approximately 713 aircraft. Rankings can differ when airlines are measured by passengers, revenue or consolidated group fleets instead.
What Are China’s Big Three Airlines?
China’s Big Three are Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. The term is commonly used in the aviation industry for the country’s three largest state-controlled airline groups.
Is Air China the Largest Airline in China?
Not by individual airline fleet size. China Southern and China Eastern both have larger fleets in this ranking. Air China is nevertheless China’s national flag carrier and leads a wider airline group that includes other operating companies.
Why Are Cathay Pacific and China Airlines Not Included?
This ranking is limited to airlines based in mainland China. Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong, while China Airlines is based in Taiwan, so neither is included in this particular comparison.
Fleet figures are a snapshot checked on 3 October 2026. They may change as airlines add, retire, lease or transfer aircraft.