Category: China Southern

High Country: Chinese 757s in the Himalayas

28/7/2019

The Boeing 757 is renowned for having some grunt, which is one of the reasons it has gained a second life on transatlantic duties. It also makes it ideal for operating in hot and high destinations where the thin air makes thrust important. The Western regions of China include the foothills of the Himalayas right up to the Tibetan plateau and the 757 proved its worth in these challenging conditions.

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Soviet Airbuses in China: Xinjiang's IL-86s

24/7/2019

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Even when it was first put into service the Soviet IL-86 was hardly a picture of modernity or efficiency, so it is little surprise that on the foreign market it was not a popular choice. Nonetheless, a few aircraft did make it out of the CIS and three ended up with Xinjiang Airlines in China, one of China's first non-CAAC airlines.

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Regional Jets in China Pt3: 70-100 Seaters

13/7/2016

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Since 2000 the definition of a regional airliner has changed dramatically and the aircraft now vying for the regional market aren't far away from being what were considered mainline aircraft in the 1980s. Some like the new C Series are really pushing the definition, however for the timebeing it is Embraer and their E-Jet family that are the market leaders worldwide for RJs. In China it is no different.

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Regional Jets in China Pt2: 2004-2009

12/7/2016

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Following the first sales of regional jets in China the two main players, Embraer and Bombardier, began to carve the market up between themselves. The Brasilian manufacturer however has taken a far riskier approach but correspondingly has also reaped a greater share of the rewards by beginning local assembly of their products in China.

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5 Goats: China Southern's XVI Asiad Special Scheme

14/4/2016

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China Southern is the biggest airline in China and nowadays one of the largest in the world, however unlike its competitors China Eastern and Air China it has been very conservative with special liveries. In fact there have only been three but even China Southern couldn't resist embracing the 2010 Asian Games when they were held in its home city of Guangzhou.

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Sheds in China: The Odd Story of CAAC's Shorts 360s

24/4/2015

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Even in the 1980s the lure of the potential offered by the Chinese aviation market was a honeytrap to foreign airframe manufacturers. This promise has lured in the likes of McDonnell Douglas, ATR, Bombardier, Saab and Embraer and left them to varying degrees with a bloody nose. Before all of these however there was little Shorts Brothers of Belfast. Shorts had achieved surprising success with its 'boxy but good' line of Skyvan, 330 and 360 aircraft perfect for the rapidly developing but still simple commuter market. Now China beckoned...

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China's Only ATRs: Connecting Mountainous Xinjiang

31/3/2015

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China Southern Airlines has operated turboprops for most of its history. It inherited Antonov AN-24s, Xian Y-7s and a few Shorts 360s from CAAC and purchased a small fleet of Saab 340s in 1992. The Saabs didn't last long and were transferred to the fledgling Shandong Airlines in 1996. Its unclear when operations with the AN-24s and Y-7s ended, however it is likely that by the early 2000s none were still in service. The break in turboprop operations was however relatively short as CZ inherited five ATR-72s when it took over China Xinjiang Airlines in March 2003.

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China Southern's 787s: A Rocky Road To The Dream

14/3/2015

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The Boeing 787-8 rather missed the boat in China due to its huge development delays, however China Southern proudly welcomed its first aircraft in 2013 wearing a unique scheme. The CZ 787 fleet can nowadays be seen across the globe from Europe to the USA and Australasia supporting their fleet of 777s and A330s. With the 787-9 picking up orders with Air China and Hainan Airlines it is likely that in the future further 787s will grace the China Southern fleet.

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China Southern's Whales: A380s in the People's Republic

21/2/2015

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Rather surprisingly it is China Southern rather than China's primary international airline Air China which has been the only recipient of Airbus A380s in China. Five aircraft were ordered on January 28, 2005 the same day that Boeing 787s were ordered. The aircraft were originally to have been in service for the 2008 Beijing Olympics however delays meant that in fact service entry didn’t occur until late 2011. The first revenue service occurred on October 17 and the type was initially deployed on domestic services connecting Guangzhou to Beijing and Beijing to Hong Kong.

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High Country: Chinese 757s in the Himalayas

Soviet Airbuses in China: Xinjiang's IL-86s

Regional Jets in China Pt3: 70-100 Seaters

Regional Jets in China Pt2: 2004-2009

5 Goats: China Southern's XVI Asiad Special Scheme

Sheds in China: The Odd Story of CAAC's Shorts 360s

China's Only ATRs: Connecting Mountainous Xinjiang

China Southern's 787s: A Rocky Road To The Dream

China Southern's Whales: A380s in the People's Republic

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