Behind the Scenes: What Caused Guilin Airlines to Suspend Then Resume Commercial Flights? (AI Translation)
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- Guilin Airlines, named after the tourist city of Guilin in Guangxi, China, suspended its commercial flight operations on November 3, 2023, due to non-operational issues, marking the first such suspension in China's civil aviation industry in 15 years. It resumed flights on February 1, 2024, with significant local government support and completely disengaged from its previous aviation service partner Hainan Airlines Group (HNA).
- The suspension and resumption of Guilin Airlines' operations were attributed to a shareholder dispute over control between HNA and Guilin's local state-owned assets supervision and administration commission. Despite re-launching operations, only two out of ten aircraft were operational as of March 14, 2024, indicating ongoing challenges.
- The airline faced financial difficulties before the suspension with negative net assets at the end of 2023 and legal disputes regarding ownership still pending resolution. The future development of Guilin Airlines remains uncertain amidst these challenges and ongoing legal battles over control rights between HNA and local government entities.
文｜财新周刊 邹晓桐（见习）
By Caixin Weekly's Zou Xiaotong (Intern)
以“山水甲天下”驰名中外的广西旅游名城桂林市，拥有一家以城市命名的地方性航空公司——桂林航空有限公司（下称“桂航”），后者诞生的使命，就是成为助力桂林打造世界级旅游城市的理想之翼。然而在2023年11月3日，桂航突然关闭了机票出票系统，暂停商业航班运营，成为中国民航业15年来首家因非经营性问题而停航的航空公司。
Guilin, a renowned tourist city in Guangxi known worldwide for its picturesque landscapes, is home to a local airline named after the city itself - Guilin Airlines Limited (hereinafter referred to as "Guilin Airlines"). The company was established with the mission of becoming a driving force in transforming Guilin into a world-class tourist destination. However, on November 3, 2023, Guilin Airlines suddenly shut down its ticketing system and suspended commercial flight operations, becoming the first airline in China's civil aviation industry to halt flights for reasons other than operational issues in 15 years.
三个月后，2024年2月1日，桂航高调举办复航仪式，多位地方政府要员现身支持。桂航强调，自己是一家“桂林人自己的航空公司”，凸显地方国资控制的身份，而此前其官网上关于公司由“桂林市政府与海航集团合作成立”等表述被悄然删除。复航后，桂航启用了全新的维保、运营、信息系统，与此前的航空服务合作方海航航空集团有限公司（下称“海航”）在业务层面全线“脱钩”。
Three months later, on February 1, 2024, Guilin Airlines grandly held a resumption ceremony with the presence of several local government officials showing their support. Guilin Airlines emphasized that it is an airline "owned by the people of Guilin," highlighting its status as controlled by local state assets, while previous descriptions on its official website about the company being established in cooperation between the Guilin municipal government and HNA Group were quietly removed. After resuming operations, Guilin Airlines adopted entirely new maintenance, operation, and information systems, completely disengaging at the business level from its previous aviation service partner HNA Group Co., Ltd. (referred to as "HNA").
桂航本是“海航系”航空公司，海航亦是其重要股东，其三个月内周折于停复航，背后到底发生了什么？
Guilin Airlines was originally an airline company within the HNA Group, with HNA also being a significant shareholder. What exactly happened behind the scenes that led to its suspension and resumption of flights within three months?
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