Lucky Air

Lucky Air, a Chinese low-cost carrier, was founded in July 2004 as Shilin Airlines and commenced operations on 26 February 2006 with initial flights from Kunming to Dali and Xishuangbanna within Yunnan province. It was renamed Lucky Air on 23 December 2005 and is owned by HNA Aviation, with investments from Hainan Airlines, Shanxi Airlines, and Yunnan Shilin Tourism Aviation. The airline is headquartered in Kunming, Yunnan, China, and operates under a low-cost business model, emphasizing efficient operations and expansion to both domestic and international routes.

Its main hub is Kunming Changshui International Airport (IATA: KMG), with additional bases at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) and Lijiang Sanyi International Airport (LJG), as well as Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO). Lucky Air is one of the four founding members of the U-FLY Alliance, the world's first alliance of low-cost carriers, formed in January 2016 with HK Express, Urumqi Air, and West Air.

The airline's network spans 61 destinations, covering 51 domestic cities in China and 11 foreign cities across countries like Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has rapidly expanded since inception, starting regionally and adding international services.

As of August 2025, Lucky Air's fleet consists of 51 aircraft, primarily narrow-body models: 7 Airbus A320-200, 6 Airbus A320neo, 1 Airbus A321neo, 4 Airbus A330-300, 9 Boeing 737-700, 20 Boeing 737-800, and 4 Boeing 737 MAX 8.

What makes Lucky Air distinctive is its origins as a regional Yunnan operator that evolved into a major low-cost carrier with international ambitions, maintaining a strong domestic focus on tourism routes while pioneering low-cost alliances and direct international links from secondary airports.