Chengdu Airlines: The Chinese Airline That Also Flies the Made-in-China Plane

History and positioning

Born as a regional airline of Sichuan Airlines, Chengdu Airlines exists to grow feeder traffic at the city's two airports, the old Shuangliu and the new Tianfu, rather than to compete with an independent network of its own. This hub-feeding role explains why the network is almost entirely domestic and geared to funneling passengers toward the long-haul connections of Sichuan Airlines and Air China.

The fleet

Besides the usual Airbus A319/A320, the airline operates the COMAC ARJ21-700, the regional jet developed entirely in China: a detail that concretely sets it apart from most comparable regional airlines, which remain loyal to Airbus or Boeing products alone.

Routes and network

From the dual hub of Chengdu Shuangliu and Chengdu Tianfu, the network connects about fifty Chinese cities, almost all domestic, feeding the longer connections of Sichuan Airlines and Air China to the rest of the world.

Chengdu Airlines is an interesting choice if you want to try the ARJ21 on a short Chinese domestic flight, as well as simply being a practical way to connect to Chengdu from a smaller regional city. It is not suited to anyone looking for international routes: the network is entirely domestic. The practical tip, if you specifically want to fly on the ARJ21, is to check the aircraft type when booking: the airline alternates this jet with more conventional Airbuses on the same routes, and the type is not guaranteed on every departure.