Is formed at Plattsburgh, New York, in the spring of 1932 to offer scheduled passenger and air express flights across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont. A single Stinson SM-8A is employed to begin revenue flights in April.
Unable to maintain viability in a time of depression, the carrier folds in 1934.
CHANGAN AIRLINES COMPANY, LTD.: P. O. Box 2, Laodong-nan Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710082, China; Phone 86 (29) 792 483; Fax 86 (29) 792 483; Code 2Z; Year Founded 1992. Changan Airlines is established at Xian on December 24, 1992 to provide passenger and cargo flights to destinations within Shaanxi province. Briefly known as Air Changan, the new entrant is a joint venture between the local municipal government and the Xian and Shaanxi aircraft manufacturers.
She Yining is named president and he begins services at the beginning of 1993 with a pair of Xian Y-7s, Chinese license-built Antonov An-24s.
Operations throughout Shaanxi province continue apace in 1994. One more Y-7 is placed into operation. Enplanements reach 120,900 in 1995.
Airline employment stands at 280 in 1996 and the fleet includes 5 Y-7s. Passenger boardings skyrocket 93% to 130,000. Freight traffic increases 106.9% to 700,000 freight FTKs.
Flights continue in 1997. During the first quarter of 1998, the regulatory body CAAC (The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China) significantly increases pressure for the amalgamation of the country’s regional airlines into three large groups centered around major carriers. It is hoped that, by 2001, Changan Airlines will become part of China Northwest Airlines Company, Ltd.
President She, together with Bai Zhijian, president of China Aviation Supplies Corporation, travel to Toronto where, on April 16, 1999, they sign an agreement with Bombardier Aerospace for 3 DHC-8Q-400 turboprops. The transaction, valued at over C$89 million ($60 million), represents the first sale of Bombardier’s Next Generation DHC-8 in the People’s Republic of China.
The year’s enplanements total 93,000 and 36,000 FTKs are operated. During the spring of 2000, Changan becomes the first airline in China to order the DHC-8-Q400 from Bombardier Aerospace, placing an order for three. Deliveries are slated to begin at the end of October.
On September 1, an arrangement is signed between the provincial government and China Hainan Airlines Company, Ltd. under which that carrier will acquire Changan, the identity of which will, for now, be retained.
As a subsidiary, Changan will continue to operate as before with its fleet of 6 Yun Y-7-100s and 2 Y-7-200s, but the new DHC-8-Q400s will be delivered to China Hainan instead.
Reacting to rising fuel costs, the CAAC, on November 1, grants the nation’s 34 airlines permission to raise ticket prices by 15% to balance passenger traffic and avgas costs; 23 companies, including Changan, increase fares on November 5.
World History
