Zhongyuan Airlines

Zhongyuan Airlines

Company type	Regional airline (defunct)
Industry	Aviation
Founded	May 15, 1986 (1986-05-15)
Defunct	August 4, 2000 (2000-08-04)
Fate	Acquired by China Southern Airlines
Headquarters	Zhengzhou , China
Area served	Central plains region of China
Products	Passenger air transport
Parent	China Southern Airlines (from 2000)

Zhongyuan Airlines (中原航空 Zhōngyuán Hángkōng) was an airline headquartered in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. Its principal operating hub was Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport.

History

Established on 15 May 1986, Zhongyuan Airlines functioned as a regional airline focused on serving the central plains region of China. In August 2000, the airline was approved for acquisition by China Southern Airlines through a joint decision by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the provincial government of Henan, significantly expanding China Southern’s footprint within Henan province. The transaction was completed on 4 August 2000.

Destinations

As of 1999, Zhongyuan Airlines connected 21 cities throughout China, including key urban centers such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Shenzhen. After discontinuing operations at Zhengzhou Dongjiao Airport, its main base was established at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport.

Partner airlines

The airline maintained cooperative relationships with several other carriers, including:

• Hainan Airlines
• Shandong Airlines
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Sichuan Airlines
• Wuhan Airlines

Final fleet

At the time of its merger, Zhongyuan Airlines’ fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

Aircraft	Quantity in Service	Orders	Remarks
Boeing 737-300	5	—	registrations: B-2574, B-2935, B-2936, B-2946, N1800B
Xi'an Y-7	2	—	registrations: B-3438, B-3439
Total	7	—

Fleet history

Throughout its operational period, Zhongyuan Airlines utilized the following aircraft types:

Aircraft	Total Number	Year Introduced	Year Retired	Comments
Boeing 737-300	5	1994	2002
Ilyushin Il-14	4	1986	1992
Il-14FK	1	1986	1992
Xian Y-7-100	2	1991	2002