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Air Guilin

IATA ICAO Call sign GT CGH WELKIN / 超越
Founded	2013 as Guangxi Airlines
Commenced operations	25 June 2016
Operating bases	Guilin Liangjiang International Airport
Fleet size	11
Destinations	22 (August 2017)
Parent company	Guilin Transportation Investment Group
Key people	Lin Yan, chairman and Rachel Ho, chairlady
Website	www.airguilin.com

Air Guilin (Chinese: 桂林航空; pinyin: Guìlín Hángkōng) is a Chinese airline with its headquarters in Xiufeng District, Guilin, Guangxi, and with Guilin Liangjiang International Airport as its main base of flight operations. A joint venture between the Guilin Municipal Government and HNA Group, the airline began operations in June 2016 using Airbus A319 aircraft. It intends to boost the tourism industry in Guilin.

History

Air Guilin has its origins in Guangxi Airlines, formed in 2013 by HNA Group and the Guilin Municipal Government. This airline was renamed Guilin Airlines in 2014 and planned to commence operations in May of that year, although this did not occur. On 8 September 2015, Guilin Airlines received preliminary approval from the CAAC. In October the airline decided to use Airbus A319 aircraft for its fleet.

Guilin Airlines was renamed Air Guilin in late 2015. On 9 December it unveiled its logo, which incorporates Guilin landmark Elephant Trunk Hill and the slogan of the city. Air Guilin commenced operations on 25 June 2016 with a flight between Guilin and Zhengzhou.

Flight deck invasion

On November 3, 2019, a Sina Weibo user found a photo of a woman dressed as a passenger in the cockpit of a civil airliner on Weibo. After preliminary identification, the details of the cockpit in the photo show that the passenger plane is en route in flight, while the paper cup on the cup holder shows that the passenger plane is suspected of belonging to Air Guilin. The next day, Air Guilin issued a statement confirming that the incident had happened on the GT1011 flight from Guilin to Yangzhou on January 4 of that year. After the investigation, the company decided to suspend the captain on duty for life, and the rest of the crew members would be suspended indefinitely and investigated further. Air Guilin Document No. 2019-618 "Notice on the Discipline of Air Guilin Passengers Responsible for Violations in Entering the Cockpit".

Dispute with HNA Aviation

In November 2023, Air Guilin, a subsidiary of HNA Aviation, was suspended due to shareholder disputes, and a large number of flights after November 3 were suspended and cancelled. According to a document of Hainan Airlines, from November 2, 2023, the affiliated enterprises of HNA Aviation will suspend the provision of aviation material supply, aviation maintenance, information system and other guarantee services for Guilin Airlines in accordance with the agreement.

HNA Aviation Group said that they are the actual controlling enterprise of Air Guilin, and "Guilin Airlines Tourism Group Co., Ltd. actually enjoys 100% equity in Guilin Airlines". Another shareholder of Guilin Airlines, Guilin Transportation Investment, a state-owned enterprise in Guilin, did not recognise the control of Hainan Airlines and upgraded its control over Air Guilin. The negotiation between the two parties failed, and finally HNA submitted a letter to Air Guilin to suspend service and terminate the agreement.

On February 1, 2024, Air Guilin announced the resumption of the route from Guilin to Tianjin. The operation software of another domestic airline was launched this time, but the ownership dispute has not been resolved. HNA Aviation issued an announcement that it did not participate in the resumption of Air Guilin. "Safety, service, operation, operation and other responsibilities have nothing to do with HNA Aviation." Guilin Transportation Investment Group said that Air Guilin has completed the upgrade of the maintenance system and operation system, and "does not belong to the bankrupt and reorganised HNA Aviation Group".

Corporate affairs

Air Guilin is a joint venture between Guilin Tourism Development Co. (60%) and Guilin Aviation Tourism Group (40%), an HNA Group subsidiary. The groups have invested a total of ¥600 million in the airline.

Destinations

Air Guilin flies to the following destinations in China as of August 2017:

Fleet

As of September 2019, Air Guilin fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Accidents and incidents

• On January 4, 2019, the captain of Guilin Airlines Flight 1011, an Airbus A319 from Guilin to Yangzhou, let a female passenger into the cockpit regardless of air safety regulations. The incident was exposed to public on November 4, and the captain was grounded for life.

References

1. ^ Ge, Lena (8 April 2016). "Chinese Start-up Air Guilin Cleared to Take Off". China Aviation Daily. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
2. "联系方式". Air Guilin. Retrieved 2019-12-10. 三、公司信息地 址：广西桂林市秀峰区三多路32号
3. ^ "HNA Group, Guilin to launch Guilin Airlines in May". ch-aviation. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
4. ^ "China's 19 new passenger airlines will be mostly full service and along the east coast". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
5. "HNA Group moves to create four new regional carriers". ch-aviation. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
6. ^ "Guilin Airlines receives preliminary approval". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
7. "China's Guilin Airlines eyes A319s for fleet". ch-aviation. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
8. ^ "HNA Group's Air Guilin Unveils Its Logo and Livery". China Aviation Daily. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
9. "China's Air Guilin starts operations". ch-aviation. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
10. Xu, Rejoice (27 June 2016). "Air Guilin Starts Operations in Southwest China". China Aviation Daily. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
11. "桂林航空回应：对当事机长给予终身停飞处罚". news.sina.com.cn. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
12. 网易 (2019-11-05). "桂林航空高层因女网红进驾驶舱集体被罚！董事长被警告扣三月工资". www.163.com. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
13. "股权纠纷升级？桂林航空今起航班取消机票停售，客服称未停航_10%公司_澎湃新闻-The Paper". www.thepaper.cn. Archived from the original on 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
14. "百度安全验证". wappass.baidu.com. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
15. "停飞三个月的桂林航火速复航，股东海航凌晨发声明："与我无关"". finance.ifeng.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-01-20.
16. "桂林航股东桂林交投发声明：桂林航不属于海航航空集团". m.yicai.com. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
17. "Profile on Air Guilin". CAPA Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
18. "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 9.
19. "Airline suspends captain for life after safety violation". China Daily. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-11-04.

External links

[REDACTED] Media related to Air Guilin at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (in Chinese)

• Airlines of China
• Companies based in Guangxi
• HNA Group