China Southwest Airlines
Defunct airline of China (1987–2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
China Southwest Airlines (中国西南航空公司) was a civil airline headquartered in Shuangliu, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, from 1987 to 2002.[1] It was merged into Air China in October 2002.
(merged into Air China)
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_(4355793148).jpg) China Southwest Airlines Boeing 757-200 in 1995 | |||||||
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| Founded | 15 October 1987 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 28 October 2002 (merged into Air China) | ||||||
| Hubs | Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 40 | ||||||
| Destinations | 60+ | ||||||
| Headquarters | Shuangliu, Chengdu, Sichuan, China | ||||||
| Key people | Zhou Zhengquan (President) Song X Jie (Vice president) | ||||||
| Employees | 8,603 (2000) | ||||||
| China Southwest Airlines | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 中国西南航空公司 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中國西南航空公司 | ||||||
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History
China Southwest Airlines was established on 15 October 1987. The airline joined the International Air Transport Association in April 1996, and then the Multilateral & Bilateral Interline Traffic Agreements in March 1997.[2] In 2000, the airline had carried 50.5 million passengers as well as 130 tonnes of cargo. On 28 October 2002, the airline merged into Air China.[3]
Destinations
China Southwest Airlines' main hub was at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and its secondary hub was in Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. It was the only airline flying to Lhasa Gonggar Airport until 2002. Although most routes from its hubs Chengdu and Chongqing were domestic, it also flew to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Osaka and Seoul.[3]
The following is a incomplete list of destinations served by China Southwest Airlines:[4][5]
Fleet
Final fleet
At the time of merger, China Southwest Airlines fleet consisted of:[6]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A340-300 | 3 | — | ||
| Boeing 737-300 | 14 | — | ||
| Boeing 737-600 | 4 | — | ||
| Boeing 737-800 | 6 | — | ||
| Boeing 757-200 | 13 | — | ||
| Total | 40 | — | ||
Fleet history
China Southwest Airlines operated a fleet of Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-600, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 757-200 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft. It had formerly operated other aircraft, including the Ilyushin Il-18D, the Tupolev Tu-154, and the Boeing 707. Throughout the airline's history, the airline had operated:[6]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A340-300 | 5 | 1998 | 2002 | |
| Antonov An-24V | 2 | 1988 | Unknown | |
| Boeing 707-320B | 3 | 1987 | 1995 | |
| Boeing 707-320C | 2 | 1987 | 1998 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 5 | 1987 | 1991 | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 24 | 1987 | 2002 | |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | 1993 | 2002 | |
| Boeing 737-600 | 4 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 6 | 1999 | 2002 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 16 | 1987 | 2002 | |
| Harbin Y-12 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Tupolev Tu-154M | 5 | 1988 | 1999 | |
| Yunshuji Y-7-100 | 4 | 1987 | Unknown |
Incidents and accidents
- On January 18, 1988, China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146, an Ilyushin 18D crashed while on approach to Chongqing Baishiyi Airport. All 108 people on board were killed.[7]
- On October 2, 1990, a hijacked Xiamen Airlines plane (operated as Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301) sideswiped a China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707 (operated as China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305) before crashing into a third airliner. Nobody on the 707 died.[8]
- On February 24, 1999, Flight 4509, a Tupolev Tu-154 crashed into a field while on approach to Wenzhou Airport, killing all 61 passengers and crew members on board, and leading to the withdrawal of all of China Southwest's Tu-154 fleet.[9]
