The Chinese airlines that get you to the suppliers.

The Chinese airlines that matter

Three state-owned giants carry most of the country's traffic. China Southern is the largest, with its fortress hub at Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), which makes it the default for Canton Fair trips. It left SkyTeam in 2019 and has flown unaligned since, despite years of Oneworld talk. China Eastern owns Shanghai: hubs at both Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA), SkyTeam member, parent of Shanghai Airlines. Air China is the flag carrier, based at Beijing Capital (PEK), Star Alliance since 2007.

Below the big three sits an ownership web that matters mostly for your miles. Shenzhen Airlines (Star Alliance) is majority-owned by Air China. XiamenAir (SkyTeam) is 55% owned by China Southern. Juneyao and Spring are the private ones out of Shanghai: Juneyao a Star Alliance Connecting Partner pushing for full membership, Spring the country's biggest low-cost carrier. Hainan Airlines, the old HNA flagship, came through China's largest corporate bankruptcy and still flies long-haul from Beijing, now under private ownership.

SkyTeam, Star Alliance or unaligned: what your miles are worth

For a one-off trip, alliances barely matter. If you fly into China a few times a year, they decide where your status actually works. Star Alliance flyers (United, Lufthansa, Singapore) earn and redeem on Air China and Shenzhen Airlines. SkyTeam status (Delta, KLM, Air France) counts on China Eastern and XiamenAir, with the usual elite perks: an extra free checked bag and lounge access on international departures. China Southern is the odd one out, the country's biggest airline sits in no alliance at all, so check whether one of its bilateral deals covers you before assuming a gold card means anything at check-in. On quality, the badges mislead: fleets are young across the board, and the widebody hard product on these carriers is competitive with anything European airlines fly to China.

Chinese airlines vs China Airlines

The most confusing name in aviation. China Airlines is the flag carrier of Taiwan, hubbed at Taipei Taoyuan, and has nothing to do with any mainland carrier on this page. It even sits in SkyTeam alongside China Eastern and XiamenAir, which doesn't help. The name dates to 1959 and the airline kept it. Read your ticket: CI is Taiwanese, CA is Air China.

Flying in from the US or Europe

The two markets look nothing alike right now. US-China capacity is still climbing back from the pandemic: more than 150 weekly nonstops in 2019, under 50 by 2024, and a bilateral agreement that allows up to 100 weekly flights by December 2026. Nonstops run from Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Boston and Washington, but they sell out early around trade-fair season and fares stay high.

Europe is the opposite story. Chinese carriers can still overfly Russia while European airlines cannot, so mainland carriers now control roughly 83% of China-Europe capacity and keep opening routes. Flying from Europe, the cheapest nonstop into Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou is very likely on one of the airlines reviewed above.

Booking direct as a foreigner

The big three all run English websites that accept foreign credit cards, and direct fares usually match the online agencies without the service fee. The friction starts after payment: changes and refunds often mean a phone call rather than a button, and the mobile apps like to switch to Chinese or demand a mainland phone number at the worst possible moment. Book on the website, keep the confirmation email, and read the change rules before you pay, not after your factory visit moves by two days.

What domestic flights in China are like

Most sourcing itineraries include at least one internal flight, and the rules are tighter than you may be used to. Domestic economy gets 20kg checked and a single 5kg carry-on, the scales get used, and excess weight costs about 1.5% of the full economy fare per kilo. That matters when you are flying home with a suitcase of samples.

Since June 2025 there is also a power-bank rule: regulators only allow power banks with a clear Chinese CCC certification mark on board, and airports have confiscated uncertified ones at international gates too. If yours didn't come from a Chinese brand, check the marking before you fly or budget for losing it at security. Onboard Wi-Fi is spreading across the widebody fleets, often free, but the Great Firewall applies at cruising altitude too, so don't count on your VPN from seat 34K.

Which airline for which trip

• Canton Fair and Guangdong factories: China Southern's home turf. Nonstop into Guangzhou beats connecting through the north, and our Canton Fair interpreters work every session.
• Shanghai, Yiwu and the east-coast markets: China Eastern or Juneyao into Pudong or Hongqiao, then the train to Yiwu is faster than any onward connection.
• Shenzhen electronics: Shenzhen Airlines into SZX if you can route it, otherwise anything into Hong Kong and cross the border.
• Fujian factories: XiamenAir into XMN, reviewed above. The rare case where the regional carrier beats the giants on its own turf.