Ruili Airlines Co., Ltd., is a Chinese low-cost carrier headquartered at Kunming Changshui International Airport. It provides both domestic and international services to destinations in China and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.[3][4]

Ruili Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
DR[1] RLH[1] SENDI[2]
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
HubsKunming Changshui International Airport
Fleet size23
Destinations34
Parent companyJincheng Group
HeadquartersKunming, Yunnan, China
Key peopleDong Lecheng (Chairman)
Websitehttp://www.rlair.net/
Ruili Airlines Co., Ltd.
Simplified Chinese瑞丽航空公司
Traditional Chinese瑞麗航空公司
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinRuìlì Hángkōng gōngsī

History

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The airline was established in 2014 and is wholly owned by the Jingcheng Group.[4] It received its air operator's certificate on 22 January 2014[5] and flew its first service on 18 May 2014, between Kunming and Mangshi.[6] Five Boeing 787-9s were ordered in 2016, but as of November 2023 none had been delivered.

Destinations

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As of March 2018, the airline served 34 destinations in China and in Southeast Asia.[7][needs update]

Fleet

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Ruili Airlines Boeing 737-700 taxiing at Tianjin Binhai International Airport

Current fleet

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As of January 2020, the Ruili Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[8]

Ruili Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Boeing 737-700 7 144 144
Boeing 737-800 16 186 186
8 168 176
Boeing 737 MAX 60[9] TBA Unspecified variants.[10]
Boeing 787-9[needs update] 6 TBA
Total 23 66

Fleet development

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The airline received its two Boeing 737-700s from Air Berlin (formerly D-ABLE and D-ABLF) on 6 January 2014. However, the aircraft were returned to Southwest Airlines in May 2015. The first 737-800 was received on 30 March 2014, and the direct purchase Boeing 737-700 from Boeing was on 25 November 2014. It has orders and commitments for a further 13 Boeing 737 aircraft (seven Boeing 737-700s and six Boeing 737 MAXs).

In mid-2015, the airline signed a commitment to purchase and lease 60 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, subject to final negotiations.[11]

In July 2016, Ruili Airlines finalized an order for six Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The deal was worth US$1.59 billion.[12][13]

Incidents

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  • On 8 July 2020, a Ruili Airlines Boeing 737 on a domestic flight from X'ian to Kunming suffered a cracked cockpit windscreen. The pilots conducted an accelerated descent and the plane made an emergency landing at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing. None of the 178 passengers or flight crew aboard was reported injured.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ruili Airlines". ch-aviation. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  2. ^ "7340.2F with Change 1 and Change 2 and Change 3" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 15 September 2016. p. 3-1-81. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  3. ^ "瑞丽航空即将开通首条国际航线_凤凰资讯". Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Ruili Airlines". CAPA Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Ruili Airlines is a new airline in Yunnan Province of China". World Airline News. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Ruili Receives First New Build 737". Airliner World: 15. February 2015.
  7. ^ "进军国际市场 瑞丽航空即将开通首条国际航线_民航资源网". 民航新闻|及时全面的民航消息,航空公司机场新闻,业内动态,信息,资讯 (in Chinese). 9 March 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 11.
  9. ^ SCMP, business (19 May 2015). "China's Ruili Airlines plan to order 60 Boeing 737 MAX". {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "Boeing: Commercial". www.boeing.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Ruili Airlines". Airliner World: 17. July 2015.
  12. ^ "News Releases/Statements". MediaRoom. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  13. ^ "China's Ruili Airlines given nod to start int'l flights". ch-aviation. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  14. ^ Chen, Chuanren (8 July 2020). "Ruili 737-800 Makes Emergency Landing After Windscreen Cracks". Aviation Week Network. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
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