Most Active Airlines in China

Key Takeaways

197 airlines fly scheduled routes from China. Together they operate 14,242 distinct outgoing routes from the country's airports
China Eastern runs the widest network. 1,549 outgoing routes from China — about 1.4x the next airline
PVG is the busiest hub. Ranked by the number of outgoing routes departing each airport
Every airline mapped. Explore each carrier's network on the interactive map below

Which airlines are most active in China? Using live AirportRoutes data, we ranked every airline by the number of distinct outgoing routes it operates from China’s airports — each origin-to-destination pair counted once.

Bar chart of the most active airlines in China by outgoing routes — The 10 most active airlines in China, ranked by distinct outgoing routes. Data: AirportRoutes.

The Full Ranking

Full ranking

Most Active Airlines in China

By distinct outgoing routes operated from the country’s airports.

Airline	Routes	Destinations	Busiest base
1. China Eastern	1,549	215	Main hub: PVG
2. China Southern Airlines	1,127	201	Main hub: CAN
3. Air China	868	177	Main hub: PEK
4. China Express Airlines	718	152	Main hub: CKG
5. Sichuan Airlines	673	139	Main hub: TFU
6. Tianjin Airlines	586	124	Main hub: TSN
7. Hainan Airlines	577	108	Main hub: HAK
8. XiamenAir	547	101	Main hub: XMN
9. Spring Airlines	511	105	Main hub: PVG
10. Chengdu Airlines	486	103	Main hub: TFU
11. Shenzhen Airlines	467	84	Main hub: SZX
12. Shandong Airlines	454	81	Main hub: TAO

Where the Routes Are: China’s Busiest Airports

Map of the busiest airports in China — China's busiest airports by number of outgoing routes. Data: AirportRoutes · Map: Mappr.

Each Airline — Where It Flies

Pick an airline and toggle Domestic / Continental / Intercontinental to see where each one flies. Click a dot for details.

1. China Eastern

1,549 outgoing routes from 150 airports in China to 215 destinations (141 domestic, 72 international). Busiest bases: PVG, KMG, XIY. Top destinations include Shanghai, Xi’an, Kunming, Shanghai, Wuhan.

2. China Southern Airlines

1,127 outgoing routes from 140 airports in China to 201 destinations (129 domestic, 70 international). Busiest bases: CAN, SZX, PKX. Top destinations include Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Beijing, Zhengzhou.

3. Air China

868 outgoing routes from 120 airports in China to 177 destinations (118 domestic, 58 international). Busiest bases: PEK, TFU, PVG. Top destinations include Beijing, Chengdu, Chengdu, Beijing, Hangzhou.

4. China Express Airlines

718 outgoing routes from 136 airports in China to 152 destinations (149 domestic, 1 international). Busiest bases: CKG, KRL, HET. Top destinations include Chongqing, Hohhot, Korla, Yining, Guiyang.

5. Sichuan Airlines

673 outgoing routes from 106 airports in China to 139 destinations (96 domestic, 43 international). Busiest bases: TFU, CKG, CTU. Top destinations include Chengdu, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Kunming.

6. Tianjin Airlines

586 outgoing routes from 125 airports in China to 124 destinations (118 domestic, 5 international). Busiest bases: TSN, URC, XIY. Top destinations include Urumqi, Xi’an, Tianjin, Hohhot, Haikou.

7. Hainan Airlines

577 outgoing routes from 79 airports in China to 108 destinations (72 domestic, 35 international). Busiest bases: HAK, PEK, SZX. Top destinations include Beijing, Haikou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xi’an.

8. XiamenAir

547 outgoing routes from 72 airports in China to 101 destinations (71 domestic, 30 international). Busiest bases: XMN, FOC, HGH. Top destinations include Xiamen, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Beijing, Changsha.

9. Spring Airlines

511 outgoing routes from 92 airports in China to 105 destinations (85 domestic, 19 international). Busiest bases: PVG, LHW, SJW. Top destinations include Shanghai, Lanzhou, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai, Ningbo.

10. Chengdu Airlines

486 outgoing routes from 104 airports in China to 103 destinations (99 domestic, 3 international). Busiest bases: TFU, CTU, TLQ. Top destinations include Chengdu, Turpan, Chengdu, Kashgar (Kashi), Yining.

11. Shenzhen Airlines

467 outgoing routes from 70 airports in China to 84 destinations (65 domestic, 19 international). Busiest bases: SZX, WUX, CAN. Top destinations include Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Nanjing, Wuxi.

12. Shandong Airlines

454 outgoing routes from 70 airports in China to 81 destinations (68 domestic, 13 international). Busiest bases: TAO, TNA, XMN. Top destinations include Jinan, Qingdao, Xiamen, Beijing, Zhengzhou.