Private company

Henan Airlines

Regional airline based in northern China

Henan Airlines (Chinese: 河南航空; pinyin: Hénán Hángkōng), formerly Kunpeng Airlines (Chinese: 鲲鹏航空公司; pinyin: Kūnpéng Hángkōng Gōngsī), was a charter airline based in northern China. The airline was founded as a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines and Mesa Air Group 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.2 It ceased to exist in 2013.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

2006Founded1
Aeroporto de são jose dos campos retouched
Photo: Fontela01, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

Henan Airlines (Chinese: 河南航空; pinyin: Hénán Hángkōng), formerly Kunpeng Airlines (Chinese: 鲲鹏航空公司; pinyin: Kūnpéng Hángkōng Gōngsī), was a charter airline based in northern China. The airline was founded as a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines and Mesa Air Group 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.2

Corporate structure

Henan Airlines is part of a group headed by China National Aviation Fuel. 14 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

The agreement to form Kunpeng Airlines was signed in December 2006, with service beginning in October 2007. Kunpeng operated passenger and cargo services, and charter flights. The airline began flying Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft leased from Mesa Air Group. The airline's livery was made up of red, white, and gold. The airline's name is derived from a mythical Chinese bird.

In August 2008, Kunpeng moved its headquarters and operating base to Zhengzhou. Kunpeng was operating at a financial loss, and it was hoped that the move would bring the airline into profitability. Kungpeng had planned on having 200 aircraft operating 900 daily flights by 2016.

In August 2008, Mesa Air Group stated that it intended to sell all of its shares in Kunpeng to its partner Shenzhen Airlines. In June 2009, Mesa Air Group sold its financial stake in Kunpeng Airlines and all its leased CRJ 200s were returned to the US.

In 2009, Shenzhen Airlines announced that Kunpeng Airlines 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 had previously approved, citing the bad reputation the airline had brought to the province in the aftermath of Henan Airlines Flight 8387. Henan's provincial government had provided incentives for the airline to move its hub from Xi'an, Shaanxi to Zhengzhou, Henan's capital and largest city.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henan Airlines, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

When the airline ceased the flight operations in August 2013, the Henan Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

From Wikipedia’s article on Henan Airlines, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. Aug 2013Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 2006Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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