Kunpeng Airlines
Encyclopedia
Henan AirlinesHenan Airlines , is a regional airline based in northern China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

. Kunpeng was originally founded as a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines is a domestic and international airlines headquartered in Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China....

 of China and Mesa Air Group
Mesa Air Group
Mesa Air Group, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation commercial aviation holding company with headquarters in Suite 100 at 410 North 44th Street in the Camelback East area of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The company operates one regional airline subsidiary: Mesa Airlines, and five supporting...

 of the United States and was also the largest sino-foreign regional airline in China. In 2009 Mesa Air Group and Shenzhen terminated their agreement and Shenzhen announced that the airline would be renamed Henan Airlines.

History

The agreement to form Kunpeng Airlines was signed in December 2006, and service began in October 2007. Kunpeng operated both passenger and cargo service as well as charter flights. The airline originally flew Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft which were leased from Mesa Air Group
Mesa Air Group
Mesa Air Group, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation commercial aviation holding company with headquarters in Suite 100 at 410 North 44th Street in the Camelback East area of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The company operates one regional airline subsidiary: Mesa Airlines, and five supporting...

. The airline's livery was made up of red, white, and gold and the name derives from a mythical Chinese bird.

In August 2008, Kunpeng moved its headquarters and operating base to the city of Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...

. Kunpeng was operating at a financial loss and it was hoped that the move would bring the airline into profit. Kungpeng planned on having 200 aircraft and operating 900 daily flights by 2016.

In August 2008, Mesa Air Group stated that they intended to sell all of their shares in Kunpeng to their partner Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines is a domestic and international airlines headquartered in Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China....

.

As of June 2009, Mesa Air Group has sold its financial stake in Kunpeng Airlines and all the leased CRJ 200's have been returned to the US.

In 2009 Shenzhen announced that it would be renamed Henan Airlines operating Embraer E-190 aircraft.

On August 27, 2010, Henan provincial authorities revoked the company name "Henan Airlines" that it has previously approved, citing the bad reputation the airline has brought to the province in the aftermath of the plane crash.. Henan provincial government had previously provided incentives for the airline to move its hub from Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...

, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...

 to Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...

, Henan's capital and largest city.

Fleet

The Kunpeng Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 24 August 2010) http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=VD&al_op=1:

Incidents and accidents

On August 24, 2010, Henan Airlines Flight 8387
Henan Airlines Flight 8387
Henan Airlines Flight 8387 was a flight from Harbin Taiping International Airport to the new Yichun Lindu Airport, both located in Heilongjiang province, China. On the night of August 24, 2010 it crashed on approach to Yichun Lindu with 91 passengers and 5 crew members on board...

 crashed shortly before landing at Yichun Lindu Airport
Yichun Lindu Airport
Yichun Lindu Airport is an airport serving the city of Yichun in Heilongjiang Province, China. It started operations in August 2009, and is capable of serving 142,000 passengers a year...

. There were 96 people on board. At least 42 people have been confirmed dead. There are initial reports of some 53 survivors.

See also

  • Henan Airlines Flight 8387
    Henan Airlines Flight 8387
    Henan Airlines Flight 8387 was a flight from Harbin Taiping International Airport to the new Yichun Lindu Airport, both located in Heilongjiang province, China. On the night of August 24, 2010 it crashed on approach to Yichun Lindu with 91 passengers and 5 crew members on board...



External links

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