Air Guilin
Air Guilin is a Chinese airline with its headquarters in Xiufeng District, Guilin, Guangxi, and with Guilin Liangjiang International Airport as its main base of flight operations. A joint venture between the Guilin Municipal Government and HNA Group, the airline began operations in June 2016 using Airbus A319 aircraft. It intends to boost the tourism industry in Guilin.
History
Air Guilin has its origins in Guangxi Airlines, formed in 2013 by HNA Group and the Guilin Municipal Government. This airline was renamed Guilin Airlines in 2014 and planned to commence operations in May of that year, although this did not occur. On 8 September 2015, Guilin Airlines received preliminary approval from the CAAC. In October the airline decided to use Airbus A319 aircraft for its fleet.Guilin Airlines was renamed Air Guilin in late 2015. On 9 December it unveiled its logo, which incorporates Guilin landmark Elephant Trunk Hill and the slogan of the city. Air Guilin commenced operations on 25 June 2016 with a flight between Guilin and Zhengzhou.
Flight deck invasion
On November 3, 2019, a Sina Weibo user found a photo of a woman dressed as a passenger in the cockpit of a civil airliner on Weibo. After preliminary identification, the details of the cockpit in the photo show that the passenger plane is en route in flight, while the paper cup on the cup holder shows that the passenger plane is suspected of belonging to Air Guilin. The next day, Air Guilin issued a statement confirming that the incident had happened on the GT1011 flight from Guilin to Yangzhou on January 4 of that year. After the investigation, the company decided to suspend the captain on duty for life, and the rest of the crew members would be suspended indefinitely and investigated further. Air Guilin Document No. 2019-618 "Notice on the Discipline of Air Guilin Passengers Responsible for Violations in Entering the Cockpit".Dispute with HNA Aviation
In November 2023, Air Guilin, a subsidiary of HNA Aviation, was suspended due to shareholder disputes, and a large number of flights after November 3 were suspended and cancelled. According to a document of Hainan Airlines, from November 2, 2023, the affiliated enterprises of HNA Aviation will suspend the provision of aviation material supply, aviation maintenance, information system and other guarantee services for Guilin Airlines in accordance with the agreement.HNA Aviation Group said that they are the actual controlling enterprise of Air Guilin, and "Guilin Airlines Tourism Group Co., Ltd. actually enjoys 100% equity in Guilin Airlines". Another shareholder of Guilin Airlines, Guilin Transportation Investment, a state-owned enterprise in Guilin, did not recognise the control of Hainan Airlines and upgraded its control over Air Guilin. The negotiation between the two parties failed, and finally HNA submitted a letter to Air Guilin to suspend service and terminate the agreement.
On February 1, 2024, Air Guilin announced the resumption of the route from Guilin to Tianjin. The operation software of another domestic airline was launched this time, but the ownership dispute has not been resolved. HNA Aviation issued an announcement that it did not participate in the resumption of Air Guilin. "Safety, service, operation, operation and other responsibilities have nothing to do with HNA Aviation." Guilin Transportation Investment Group said that Air Guilin has completed the upgrade of the maintenance system and operation system, and "does not belong to the bankrupt and reorganised HNA Aviation Group".