Most Active Airlines in China

Key Takeaways

198 airlines fly scheduled routes from China. Together they operate 14,403 distinct outgoing routes from the country's airports
China Eastern runs the widest network. 1,559 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	1,559	217	Main hub: PVG
2. China Southern Airlines	1,129	201	Main hub: CAN
3. Air China	904	182	Main hub: PEK
4. China Express Airlines	717	151	Main hub: CKG
5. Sichuan Airlines	677	140	Main hub: TFU
6. Tianjin Airlines	589	125	Main hub: TSN
7. Hainan Airlines	579	109	Main hub: HAK
8. XiamenAir	550	101	Main hub: XMN
9. Spring Airlines	513	106	Main hub: PVG
10. Chengdu Airlines	489	104	Main hub: TFU
11. Shenzhen Airlines	470	85	Main hub: SZX
12. Shandong Airlines	455	81	Main hub: TAO

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

1,559 outgoing routes from 150 airports in China to 217 destinations (143 domestic, 74 international). Busiest bases: PVG, KMG, XIY. Top destinations include Shanghai, Xi’an, Kunming, Shanghai, Wuhan.

2. China Southern Airlines

1,129 outgoing routes from 140 airports in China to 201 destinations (131 domestic, 70 international). Busiest bases: CAN, SZX, PKX. Top destinations include Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Beijing, Zhengzhou.

3. Air China

904 outgoing routes from 120 airports in China to 182 destinations (121 domestic, 61 international). Busiest bases: PEK, TFU, PVG. Top destinations include Beijing, Chengdu, Chengdu, Beijing, Hangzhou.

4. China Express Airlines

717 outgoing routes from 136 airports in China to 151 destinations (150 domestic, 1 international). Busiest bases: CKG, KRL, HET. Top destinations include Chongqing, Hohhot, Korla, Yining, Guiyang.

5. Sichuan Airlines

677 outgoing routes from 106 airports in China to 140 destinations (97 domestic, 43 international). Busiest bases: TFU, CKG, CTU. Top destinations include Chengdu, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Kunming.

6. Tianjin Airlines

589 outgoing routes from 125 airports in China to 125 destinations (120 domestic, 5 international). Busiest bases: TSN, URC, XIY. Top destinations include Urumqi, Xi’an, Tianjin, Hohhot, Haikou.

7. Hainan Airlines

579 outgoing routes from 79 airports in China to 109 destinations (74 domestic, 35 international). Busiest bases: HAK, PEK, SZX. Top destinations include Beijing, Haikou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xi’an.

8. XiamenAir

550 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

513 outgoing routes from 92 airports in China to 106 destinations (87 domestic, 19 international). Busiest bases: PVG, LHW, SJW. Top destinations include Shanghai, Lanzhou, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai, Ningbo.

10. Chengdu Airlines

489 outgoing routes from 105 airports in China to 104 destinations (101 domestic, 3 international). Busiest bases: TFU, CTU, TLQ. Top destinations include Chengdu, Turpan, Chengdu, Kashgar (Kashi), Yining.

11. Shenzhen Airlines

470 outgoing routes from 70 airports in China to 85 destinations (65 domestic, 20 international). Busiest bases: SZX, WUX, CAN. Top destinations include Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Nanjing, Wuxi.

12. Shandong Airlines

455 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.