Spring Airlines

History and Development

The airline was given approval to be established on 26 May 2004. Its first aircraft, an Airbus A320 (formerly of Lotus Air), was delivered on 12 July 2005, at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Spring Airlines started operations on 18 July 2005 and the first flight on that day was between Shanghai and Yantai. Daily flights to Guilin were also initiated.

To keep operating costs low, Spring sells tickets exclusively from its springairlines.com website (and some designated ticket offices), bypassing travel agents. Spring no longer offers complimentary on-board meals nor complimentary water; however passengers are able to purchase meals and beverages on board. In December 2006, the airline offered a 1-yuan promotional price which caused trouble with government officials.

In late July 2009, Spring's plan to establish overseas routes was granted by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of the People's Republic of China, making it the first budget airline in China to explore the international market. The airline plans to operate short-distance routes linking mainland Chinese cities to Hong Kong and Macau, as well as neighboring countries such as Japan, South Korea and Russia.

On July 29, 2010, Spring Airlines launched its first international route linking its home city Shanghai and Japan's Ibaraki Airport, about 80 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. 2 months later, on September 28, the airline successfully introduced its first flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong with almost full passengers on board. Spring's daily flights from Shanghai to Macau commenced on 8 April 2011 with further international destinations following in the second half of 2011.

The airline is now preparing for a listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in an effort to fuel its expansion.

Spring Airlines announced in 2011 that it had plans to establish a subsidiary in Japan; it would be the first Chinese airline to do so. Spring was required to find one or more local partners due to Japanese legal restrictions that would limit its investment to a minority stake. Spring Airlines Japan originally planned to begin operations in autumn 2013 but has delayed this to 2014.

The Spring Airlines corporate logo is known as a triple spiral or triskelion in Western semiotics.

Spring Airlines began serving Singapore from 25 April 2014.

On 28 July 2014, the airline prevented two passengers who had HIV from boarding a flight to Shijiazhuang, telling them the airline's policy was not to transport people with HIV. The passengers launched a lawsuit against Spring claiming compensation and an apology, which a court accepted. The airline denied discriminating against the passengers saying they should not have made their status known.

In 2015, Spring announced plans to build a 250-300 room hotel at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya, Japan, a rare instance of a low-cost carrier entering the hotel business.

Fleet

The Spring Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of March 2017):

Standing seat proposal

Spring Airlines is seeking approvals for 24 inch-pitch standing seats from aviation authorities.

Spring Plus

Spring Plus is class where they put extra leg room on your 24 inch-pitch along with inflight meals at free of charge just like normal economy class, along with priority boarding.

Incidents/Accidents

On June 6, 2014, an Airbus A320 operated by Spring Airlines experienced a runway excursion and tail strike on go-around at Xiamen. There were no injuries, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. An investigation has been opened by China's Accident Investigation Board.