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Guangzhou-based carrier China Southern Airlines boasts the largest fleet of any Asian operator. It consists of nearly 650 aircraft, but which planes make up this number? Let’s take a closer look at the makeup of the fleet.
The widebody fleet
Let’s start by taking a look at the widebody jets that fly for China Southern. According to data from ch-aviation.com, 113 of the carrier’s 645 aircraft fall under this category. It is worth noting that some of these are freighters, such as the airline’s two Boeing 747-400F(SCD) quadjets. It also flies 14 examples of Boeing’s twin-engine cargo-carrying 777-200F.
As far as passenger-carrying widebodies are concerned, both Airbus and Boeing have representation at China Southern. In terms of Boeing designs, the carrier operates 15 examples of the 777-300ER, and has one more on order. The 787 family also has a presence, in the form of both the 787-8 (10 examples) and the 787-9 (17 examples plus three on order).
China Southern introduced the A380 in October 2011. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Moving on to Airbus, China Southern is a fairly rare operator of the European planemaker’s double-decker A380, of which it has five in its fleet. Moving onto the company’s twin-engine widebodies, the A330 family is well represented, with 14 A330-200s and 26 A330-300s present. Finally, China Southern also flies 10 A350-900s, and has a further 10 on order.
Airbus narrowbodies
Narrowbody aircraft from various manufacturers dominate China Southern’s present fleet. The carrier is fond of the original Airbus A320 family, and operates the following designs.
- A319-100 x9.
- A320-200 x111.
- A321-200 x99.
The next-generation A320neo series also has a role to play at China Southern. The airline has used this family to modernize its single-aisle fleet, operating the following models.
- A319neo x2.
- A320neo x39.
- A321neo – 28 standard examples plus 25 A321–200NX with ‘Airbus Cabin Flex’ configuration.
China Southern is one of few carriers to have ordered the Airbus A319neo. Photo: Airbus
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Boeing narrowbodies
On the other side of the industry-dominating manufacturing duopoly, China Southern also operates a considerable number of Boeing narrowbodies. The 737NG series is the dominant force here, with the airline flying 26 737-700ss, and a whopping 162 737-800s.
These models have respective average ages of 13.5 and 9.1 years old. Meanwhile, at the younger end of the scale, China Southern also has 24 737 MAX 8s at its disposal. These have an average age of just 3.5 years old, and 43 more are set to join the carrier. However, China is still yet to recertify the MAX, so all of these jets remain inactive for the time being.
The cheaper but older Boeing 737-800 accounts for more than a quarter of China Southern’s fleet. Photo: Getty Images
Closer to home
The airline also operates a handful of narrowbody aircraft from its Chinese homeland. These presently come in the form of the COMAC ARJ21-700, a rear-engined twinjet of which it flies seven. These 90-seaters are just 0.7 years old on average, and a further 27 are on order.
Going forward, China Southern also has orders in place for five examples of COMAC’s larger C919. In September 2018, Simple Flying reported that the carrier had ambitions to grow its fleet to 2,000 aircraft by 2035. While the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic may have hampered this development, the size of its existing fleet is certainly impressive.
What do you make of China Southern’s huge fleet? How many of its aircraft have you flown on? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
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