China United Airlines Co., Ltd. () is a low-cost carrier and a subsidiary of

China Eastern Airlines China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (), also known as China Eastern, is an airline headquartered in the China Eastern Airlines Building, on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai. It i ...

with its headquarters and main hub on the grounds of

Beijing Daxing International Airport Beijing Daxing International Airport , is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). It is located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province. It has bee ...

Daxing District Daxing District () is a district of Beijing, covering the southern suburbs of the city. It borders the Beijing districts of Tongzhou to the east/northeast, Fangshan to the west, Fengtai to the northwest, Chaoyang to the northeast, and the Heb ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, operating scheduled flights and charter services in co-operation with local enterprises out of Daxing Airport.

History

China United Airlines was established in 1986 as an arm of the civil transport division of the

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

. In November 2002, all scheduled services were ceased, followed by a full suspension of flight operations in 2003 due to a Chinese governmental regulation prohibiting the Army from being directly involved in commercial activities. On June 4, 2005, the

Civil Aviation Administration of China The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents. As the aviation authority responsible f ...

approved the relaunch of the airline. Now with

Shanghai Airlines Shanghai Airlines () is an airline headquartered in Shanghai. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, but its operations remain separate post-merger, retaining its distinct brand and livery. Shanghai Airlines operates domestic ...

holding 80 percent of the stake, as well as CASGC as a secondary shareholder. Even though China United Airlines has since then lost its military status, uniquely enough for an airline it is still permitted to use

military air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

as destinations, in contrast to other Chinese airlines and other airlines in general. In 2000, China United Airlines spent US$120 million to buy a Boeing 767-300ER, which was previously ordered by

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

, as

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pr ...

's private jet. Several days before its first flight,

covert listening device A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, or wiretapping is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and ...

s were found installed in toilet, corridor, and even in Jiang's headboard. Listening device were believed to be controlled and monitored by satellite.

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

, U.S embassy in China, and China United Airlines refuse to comment on this incident. The specific aircraft was sold to Air China and later to

Sunday Airlines Sunday Airlines is a charter airline in Kazakhstan and a subsidiary of SCAT Airlines. Its main base is Almaty International Airport. History The airline was established and started operations in 2013. Destinations Fleet As of December 2022, t ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. China United Airlines was acquired by

in October 2010 as a result of acquisitions. With the opening of the

on 26 September 2019, China United Airlines began service at the new airport as its main hub and ceased service from

Beijing Nanyuan Airport Beijing Nanyuan Airport was a military airbase and a secondary commercial airport of Beijing. Located in Fengtai District, south of the 4th Ring Road and from Tiananmen Square, Nanyuan Airport was first opened in 1910, making it the olde ...

which was its main operating base for 35 years.

Corporate affairs

The headquarters is on the grounds of

Daxing District, Beijing Daxing District () is a district of Beijing, covering the southern suburbs of the city. It borders the Beijing districts of Tongzhou District, Beijing, Tongzhou to the east/northeast, Fangshan District, Fangshan to the west, Fengtai District, Feng ...

. Previously the headquarters were in Fengtai District. The customer service center is in Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang,

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...

Destinations

China

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

Fuyang () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Bozhou to the northeast, Huainan to the southeast, Lu'an to the south, and the province of Henan on all other sides. Its population was 8,200,264 inhabitants at the ...

( Fuyang Airport) ** Hefei (

Hefei Xinqiao International Airport Hefei Xinqiao International Airport is the main airport serving Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, China. It is located near the town of Gaoliu in Shushan District, from the city center. Construction started in December 2008 with a tota ...

) *

(

) Hub *

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

** Fuzhou (

Fuzhou Changle International Airport Fuzhou Changle International Airport is an international airport serving Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, China. The airport was inaugurated on 23 June 1997, after being approved to start constructing in 1992. The current handling ca ...

) **

Longyan Longyan (; Hakka: ''Liùng-ngàm''; Longyan dialect: ''Lengngia'') is a prefecture-level city in south-western Fujian Province, China, bordering Guangdong to the south and Jiangxi to the west. History In 736 AD, (the Tang dynasty), the prefec ...

( Longyan Guanzhishan Airport) *

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

( Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport) ** Foshan (

Foshan Shadi Airport Foshan Shadi Airport , or Shadi Air Base, is a dual-use military and public airport serving the city of Foshan in Guangdong Province, China. FUO was re-opened to serve as a relief airport for the region. Along with two other major airports, Gua ...

) **

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

( Shenzhen Baoan International Airport) **

Jieyang Jieyang () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong Province (Yuedong), People's Republic of China, part of the Chaoshan region whose people speak Chaoshan Min distinct from neighbouring Yue speakers. It is historically important as th ...

(

Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport is an airport serving the cities of Jieyang, Shantou, Chaozhou and nearby areas in eastern Guangdong Province, China. It is located in the towns of Paotai and Denggang in Jiedong District, Jieyang, Guan ...

) **

Zhanjiang Zhanjiang (), historically spelled Tsamkong, is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, facing Haikou city to the south. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,981,236 (6,994,832 ...

(

Zhanjiang Wuchuan Airport Zhanjiang Wuchuan Airport () is an airport in Wuchuan, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China. . The airport opened on 24 March 2022, replacing the Zhanjiang Airport in Xiashan. Airlines and destinations See also * List of airports in China This ...

) *

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

Sanya Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China. According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, li ...

( Sanya Fenghuang International Airport) *

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

Nanyang Nanyang is the romanization of two common Chinese place names. It may refer to: Written as 南洋 (Southern Ocean) * Nanyang (region), a Chinese term denoting the Southeast Asian lands surrounding the South China Sea ;China * Nanyang Fleet, Qing ...

(

Nanyang Jiangying Airport Nanyang Jiangying Airport () is an airport serving the city of Nanyang in Henan Province, China. It is located near Jiangying, in Wancheng District, east of the city center. The airport was opened in October 1992 and expanded in 1998. It is ...

) *

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a popul ...

(

Changsha Huanghua International Airport Changsha Huanghua International Airport is the airport serving Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, China, and the Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region comprising the nearby cities of Zhuzhou and Xiangtan. As of 2021, it was one of the ...

) *

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

** Baotou (

Baotou Airport Baotou Donghe Airport is an airport serving the city of Baotou in Inner Mongolia, China. Eurasia Aviation Corporation, a joint venture between Ministry of Transportation and Communications of China and Lufthansa, built the airport in 1934. T ...

) **

Hailar Hailar District, formerly a county-level city, is an urban district that serves as the seat of the prefecture-level city Hulunbuir in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China. Hulunbuir, due to its massive size, is a city in administrative terms only ...

( Hailar Dongshan Airport) ** Hohhot (

Hohhot Baita International Airport Hohhot Baita International Airport is an international airport serving Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, China. It is the largest airport in Inner Mongolia and lies east of downtown Hohhot. Its name Baita, meaning White Pagoda, derives f ...

) **

Ordos Ordos may refer to: Inner Mongolia * Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China **Ordos Ejin Horo Airport * Ordos Loop of the Yellow River, a region of China **Ordos Plateau or "the Ordos", land enclosed by Ordos Loop *Ordos Desert, in Inner Mongolia *Ordos ...

( Ordos Airport) *

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

Wuxi Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou. In 2017 it had a population of 3,542,319, with 6,553,000 living in the entire prefecture-level city ar ...

( Wuxi Shuofang Airport) **

Lianyungang Lianyungang () is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, China. It borders Yancheng to its southeast, Huai'an and Suqian to its south, Xuzhou to its southwest, and the province of Shandong to its north. Its name derives f ...

( Lianyungang Baitabu Airport) **

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

( Nanjing Lukou Airport) *

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

Ganzhou Ganzhou (), alternately romanized as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jiangxi province, China, bordering Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, and Hunan to the west. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District. Hist ...

(

Ganzhou Airport Ganzhou Huangjin Airport is an airport serving the city of Ganzhou in Jiangxi Province, China. The airport is located in the town of Fenggang in Nankang District of Ganzhou. It is 16 kilometers from the city center of Ganzhou. The airport wa ...

) *

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

** Yulin ( Yulin Airport) * Shandong **

Linyi Linyi () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. As of 2011, Linyi is the largest prefecture-level city in Shandong, both by area and population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo t ...

( Linyi Airport) *

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

(

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of the two international airports of Shanghai and a significant airline hub of China. Hongqiao Airport mainly serves domestic and regional flights, although the airport also serves international fl ...

) **

(

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Shanghai Pudong International Airport is one of two international airports serving Shanghai and a major aviation hub of East Asia. Pudong Airport serves both international flights and a smaller number of domestic fights, while the city's oth ...

) *

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...

(

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province, the other one being Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU), and a major air hub. Located about southwes ...

) *

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

Ürümqi Ürümqi ( ; also spelled Ürümchi or without umlauts), formerly known as Dihua (also spelled Tihwa), is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of the People's Republic of China. Ürümqi developed its ...

(

Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport is an airport serving Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. It is located in Diwopu township of Xinshi district, northwest of downtown Ürümqi. A hub for ...

) *

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whic ...

( Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport) ** Quzhou (

Quzhou Airport Quzhou Airport, also called Quzhou Air Base () is a dual-use military and civil airport located 2.9 kilometers east of the city of Quzhou in Zhejiang Province, China. Originally only a military airfield for the People's Liberation Army Air Force ...

)

Japan

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

(

Fukuoka Airport , formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Fukuoka Airport is the principal airport on the island of Kyushu and is the fourth busiest passenger ...

) *

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

(

Shizuoka Airport , also called Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Opened on June 4, 2009, the airport has domestic service to Sapporo, Fukuoka, Naha (Okinawa), Komatsu, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima. International routes connect it ...

)

Fleet

, the China United Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft: The airline previously operated the following aircraft:

Special liveries

China United Airlines has a total of 7 special livery aircraft in service, all of which are named after cities in China: * B-5448 (

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...

) – named and decorated after

Huangguoshu Waterfall Huangguoshu Waterfall (), is one of the largest waterfalls in China and East Asia located on the Baishui River () in Anshun, Guizhou province. It is high and wide. The main waterfall is high and wide. Tourism Known as the Huangguoshu Wate ...

Anshun Anshun () is a prefecture-level city located in southwestern Guizhou province, southwest China, near the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the tallest in China. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 2,297,339. The city proper had a population o ...

, Guizhou * B-5665 (Boeing 737-800) – named and decorated after Baotou, Inner Mongolia * B-5470 (Boeing 737-800) – named and decorated after

Rizhao Rizhao (), alternatively romanized as Jihchao, is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Shandong province, China. It is situated on the coastline along the Yellow Sea, and features a major seaport. It borders Qingdao to the northeast, Weifang t ...

, Shandong * B-7561 (Boeing 737-800) – named and decorated after

Xingyi, Guizhou Xingyi () is a county-level city administered by the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the southwest of Guizhou Province, China. Geography The city has an area of 2911 square kilometers, and a population of 784,032 as of 2010. I ...

* B-5471 (Boeing 737-800) – named and decorated after Qingyang, Gansu * B-1750 (Boeing 737-800) – named and decorated after

, Jiangsu * B-7371 (Boeing 737-800) – named and decorated after

Wuhu Wuhu () is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province, China. Sitting on the southeast bank of the Yangtze River, Wuhu borders Xuancheng to the southeast, Chizhou and Tongling to the southwest, Hefei city to the northwest, Ma'ansh ...

, Anhui File:B-5448@NAY (20190813070038).jpg, A Boeing 737-800 (B-5448) in ''Anshun Huangguoshu Waterfalls'' livery. File:B-5665@NAY (20190917153026).jpg, A Boeing 737-800 (B-5665) in ''Create a Dream - Baotou'' livery. File:B-5470@NAY (20190917172057).jpg, A Boeing 737-800 (B-5470) in ''Fantasy Ocean Rizhao'' livery. File:B-7561@NAY (20190917161248).jpg, A Boeing 737-800 (B-7561) in ''Xingyi Million Peak Forest'' livery. File:B-1750@NAY (20190917150206).jpg, A Boeing 737-800 (B-1750) in ''Lianyungang - Flower and Fruit Hill'' livery. File:B-7371@PKX (20210617181518).jpg, A Boeing 737-800 (B-7371) in ''Happy Wuhu'' livery.

References

External links

Official website
*

/ {{Authority control Airlines of China Airlines established in 1986 Chinese companies established in 1986 Companies based in Beijing Chinese brands Former Star Alliance affiliate members Low-cost carriers People's Liberation Army Air Force