Spring Airlines
Spring Airlines is a Shanghai-headquartered Chinese low-cost carrier (publicly listed on SSE as 9C) operating China's largest LCC fleet of 129 Airbus A320 aircraft, serving budget travelers across domestic China and nine Asian countries through unbundled fares and ancillary services.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersShanghai, China
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Spring Airlines does
Spring Airlines is a Shanghai-headquartered, publicly listed low-cost carrier (Shanghai Stock Exchange ticker 9C, SSE: 601021) founded in 2004, operating China's largest LCC fleet with 129 Airbus A320-200 and A320neo aircraft. The airline serves budget-conscious travelers across domestic China and a nine-country Asian international network spanning Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia, with route additions into Indonesia (Jakarta-Guangzhou/Shenzhen launched June 2026) and resumed cross-strait service (Kaohsiung-Ningbo in July 2026).
The company operates a three-tier unbundled fare structure — Lucky Spring, Spring, and SpringPlus — where passengers pay a la carte for checked baggage, seat selection, onboard meals, travel insurance, and priority services, with the SpringPlus tier offering premium seating, priority handling, and bonus SpringPass loyalty points. Distribution runs through direct digital channels (en.ch.com, native iOS/Android/HarmonyOS apps, WeChat, Weibo) supported by a 24/7 call center, with multi-currency and multi-language booking. The wholly-owned Japanese subsidiary Spring Japan (IJ) operates Boeing 737-800s on domestic Japanese routes and Japan-China international service. Technology initiatives include a joint-venture domestically-produced A320 full-flight simulator (received July 18, 2025) with Harbin Wright Brothers Technology Development Co Ltd and integrations with Alibaba Cloud for facial-recognition identity verification.
The business model is a classic LCC construct: low base fares monetize via ancillary fees (baggage, seat selection, meals, insurance) and premium upgrade attach (SpringPlus). Revenue is driven by passenger ticket volume across 129 aircraft, with a 30-aircraft A320neo order worth up to $4.13B scheduled for 2028-2032 delivery signaling continued capacity expansion. Controlling shareholder Shanghai Spring International Travel Service (Group) Co., Ltd. (Spring Travel) holds governance oversight, and Spring Airlines Technology handles internal IT and marketing functions.
Spring Airlines firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spring Airlines
- Legal name
- Spring Airlines Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://en.ch.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Spring Airlines is a Shanghai-headquartered Chinese low-cost carrier (publicly listed on SSE as 9C) operating China's largest LCC fleet of 129 Airbus A320 aircraft, serving budget travelers across domestic China and nine Asian countries through unbundled fares and ancillary services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Spring Airlines is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shanghai
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spring Airlines business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Airline Ticket Sales: Core revenue from selling passenger air tickets across domestic China and international routes. Spring Airlines operates on a low-cost carrier model with three fare types (Lucky Spring, Spring, SpringPlus) offering different levels of service and inclusions.
- Ancillary Services: Significant ancillary revenue from checked baggage fees, seat selection charges, onboard meals, travel insurance, priority boarding, and excess baggage fees. The airline's low-cost model unbundles services allowing passengers to pay only for what they use.
- Checked Baggage: Passengers can purchase checked baggage allowance in advance or pay excess baggage fees at airport counters. Fees vary by route distance and weight, with different pricing for domestic vs international routes.
- SpringPlus Upgrade: Premium upgrade service offering front row seating, 20KG check-in baggage allowance, 20-40% more legroom, dedicated elite service, priority check-in and boarding, greater ticket flexibility, and bonus SpringPass points.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Lucky Spring fare - basic low-cost option with minimal inclusions |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Spring fare - standard low-cost option with moderate inclusions |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | SpringPlus - premium fare with maximum inclusions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Spring Airlines product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spring Airlines is a Chinese low-cost carrier that sells unbundled passenger air tickets on domestic Chinese routes and international routes across Asia under the main 9C brand, plus domestic Japanese routes and Japan-China routes through its Spring Japan (IJ) subsidiary. The airline operates a three-tier fare structure (Lucky Spring, Spring, SpringPlus) and generates additional revenue from ancillary services such as checked baggage, seat selection, onboard meals, travel insurance, priority boarding, and excess baggage. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the company's website (en.ch.com), mobile apps, WeChat, call center, and partner agencies.
Product overview
Spring Airlines operates as a Chinese low-cost carrier (LCC) headquartered in Shanghai, offering a comprehensive air travel platform under the main brand Spring Airlines (flight code 9C) alongside its Japanese subsidiary SPRING JAPAN (flight code IJ). The core product is the online booking platform enabling ticket sales for domestic flights within China and international routes across Asia. The service portfolio includes tiered fare products (Three Fare Types), premium upgrades (SpringPlus), ancillary services (checked baggage, seat selection, onboard meals, travel insurance), and loyalty program (SpringPass). The company also operates a separate SPRING JAPAN subsidiary offering domestic routes within Japan and international routes to China using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, while the main 9C operations use Airbus A320-200 and A320neo aircraft.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SpringPlus: Premium cabin service offering front row seating, 20KG check-in baggage allowance, 20-40% more legroom, dedicated elite service, priority check-in and boarding, and greater ticket flexibility
- SpringPass
- Spring Japan (IJ)
Quantifiable outcome
- Flight training cost reduction through domestically-made simulator investment
Companies that use Spring Airlines
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Spring Airlines technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Spring Airlines partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AirbuscoreSpring Airlines agreed to purchase 30 A320neo aircraft from Airbus at a price not exceeding $4.13 billion, with deliveries scheduled between 2028 and 2032. The order underscores Airbus's increasingly central role in China's commercial aviation market as Boeing remains sidelined by geopolitical tensions.
- Harbin Wright Brothers Technology Development Co LtdcoreSpring Airlines partnered with Harbin Wright Brothers Technology Development Co Ltd to develop its first domestically-made A320 flight training simulator. The simulator features a complete cockpit and visual system capable of simulating up to 300 system failure scenarios, improving pilot proficiency while reducing training costs. The company invested 800 million yuan in building its flight training base in 2014.
- PT Angkasa Pura IndonesiacoreSpring Airlines launched two new international flight routes connecting Jakarta with Guangzhou and Shenzhen, operated through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport managed by PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia. The Guangzhou service began June 16, 2026 (three weekly flights) and Shenzhen service started June 17, 2026 (twice weekly).
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Spring Airlines competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
Spring Airlines social profiles
Digital presenceSpring Airlines financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spring Airlines leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Spring Airlines subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Spring Airlines funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spring Airlines M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spring Airlines
What does Spring Airlines do?
Spring Airlines is a Chinese low-cost carrier that sells unbundled passenger air tickets on domestic Chinese routes and international routes across Asia under the main 9C brand, plus domestic Japanese routes and Japan-China routes through its Spring Japan (IJ) subsidiary. The airline operates a three-tier fare structure (Lucky Spring, Spring, SpringPlus) and generates additional revenue from ancillary services such as checked baggage, seat selection, onboard meals, travel insurance, priority boarding, and excess baggage. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the company's website (en.ch.com), mobile apps, WeChat, call center, and partner agencies.
Is Spring Airlines a public or private company?
Spring Airlines is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Spring Airlines founded?
Spring Airlines was founded in 2004. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Spring Airlines based?
Spring Airlines is headquartered in Shanghai, China, in the Asia region.
How does Spring Airlines make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Airline Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are ancillary Services, checked Baggage and springPlus Upgrade.
Does Spring Airlines have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spring Airlines.