Exploring China’s Airline Turmoil HNA Group’s Legal Clash with Air Guilin

Post originally Published April 28, 2024 || Last Updated April 28, 2024

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HNA Group, once a sprawling Chinese conglomerate, has been undergoing a tumultuous restructuring process to address its overwhelming debt burden.

After a debt-fueled acquisition spree, the group found itself drowning in over $170 billion in liabilities.

The restructuring plan, approved by creditors, has involved strategic investments and the reorganization of the group's 321 subsidiaries into four new entities.

Despite facing opposition from some creditors, the restructuring process has steadily progressed, with the Hainan High People's Court approving the plans for the group's various business units.

While the HNA Group's empire-like structure has now been dismantled, the company's future remains uncertain as it navigates the challenges of its debt-ridden past.

HNA Group, once a sprawling conglomerate, owed a staggering $170 billion to its creditors, making it one of the most indebted companies in China's history.

A little-known steelmaker, Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd, emerged as a significant investor in HNA, injecting $88 billion into the company as part of the restructuring plan.

The HNA Group's restructuring plan faced opposition from tens of thousands of Chinese creditors owed money by the group, highlighting the complexity of the debt unraveling process.

Trading in an HNA bond was halted in April 2018 after the group informed investors that it would delay interest and principal payments on a bond issued in 2013, a clear sign of the group's financial distress.

The HNA Group's restructuring plan involved folding its 321 subsidiaries into four new entities, a move that effectively dismantled the group's empire-like structure.

Despite the massive debt burden and the lengthy restructuring process, which took over two years, the HNA Group has successfully completed its reorganization as of April 2022, paving the way for a new chapter in the company's history.

What else is in this post?

  1. Exploring China's Airline Turmoil HNA Group's Legal Clash with Air Guilin - HNA Group's Debt-Ridden Empire Unravels
  2. Exploring China's Airline Turmoil HNA Group's Legal Clash with Air Guilin - Air Guilin's Fight for Survival Amidst Corporate Giants
  3. Exploring China's Airline Turmoil HNA Group's Legal Clash with Air Guilin - Creditors Take Charge - Restructuring HNA's Airline Assets
  4. Exploring China's Airline Turmoil HNA Group's Legal Clash with Air Guilin - Strategic Investors Swoop In for Core Airline Businesses
  5. Exploring China's Airline Turmoil HNA Group's Legal Clash with Air Guilin - Hainan Airlines' Turbulent Journey Under New Ownership
  6. Exploring China's Airline Turmoil HNA Group's Legal Clash with Air Guilin - China's Aviation Industry Navigates Uncharted Skies


Air Guilin, a Chinese airline based in Guilin, has been facing significant financial difficulties and legal disputes over its ownership.

The airline suspended all operations in 2023 due to these ongoing challenges, with the equity composition of the company remaining contested between the Guilin government and HNA Group, the parent company of Air Guilin.

The future of Air Guilin remains uncertain as it navigates through its financial troubles and the unresolved legal battles over control rights between the various stakeholders involved.

Air Guilin, a joint venture between the Guilin Municipal Government and HNA Group, has suspended all flights since 2023 due to a legal dispute over the airline's ownership.

In October 2021, the Hainan Provincial Higher People's Court ruled that Guilin Air Travel Group holds 100% of the equity in Air Guilin, contradicting HNA Group's claims.

HNA Group, the parent company of Air Guilin and China's 4th largest airline group, is still in the process of bankruptcy restructuring, adding to the uncertainty surrounding Air Guilin's future.

Despite the legal battles, Air Guilin has a fleet of only 10 aircraft, indicating its relatively small size compared to other major Chinese airlines.

The airline faced financial difficulties prior to suspending operations, with negative net assets reported at the end of 2023, highlighting the precarious nature of its financial standing.

In October 2021, HNA Group, the parent company of Air Guilin, ordered the airline to stop its pay cut plan, adding to the tensions between the corporate giant and the local government.

Since July 2018, Air Guilin has not introduced any new aircraft, suggesting a lack of investment and growth in the midst of the ongoing legal dispute.


Exploring China’s Airline Turmoil HNA Group’s Legal Clash with Air Guilin

Amidst China's airline turmoil, creditors of the financially distressed HNA Group have taken charge of the company's restructuring process.

The restructuring plan, which includes strategic investments of 38 billion yuan, aims to address HNA's substantial debt burden and stabilize its financial situation.

The complex negotiations between HNA and its creditors, including airlines, lessors, and debt holders, have affected numerous HNA-associated airlines, such as Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, and Tianjin Airlines.

The HNA Group's restructuring plan involved dividing the company into 11 separate entities, a move aimed at ensuring creditor repayment of approximately 1,613 billion yuan out of the total 400 billion yuan sought.

Creditors holding claims against HNA Group were required to declare them by April 2021 as part of the restructuring process, highlighting the complexity of untangling the group's vast liabilities.

The strategic investments of 38 billion yuan ($88 billion) that were approved by HNA's creditors will be distributed across the 11 newly formed entities within the group, aiming to address the company's substantial debt burden.

Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, and Tianjin Airlines are among the numerous airlines associated with the HNA Group that were affected by the ongoing restructuring efforts.

Discussions between HNA Group and Air Guilin, a Chinese airline facing its own financial troubles, have been stalled due to a disagreement over the valuation of assets, further complicating the restructuring process.

The HNA Group's legal clash with Air Guilin has highlighted the complex web of stakeholders, including airlines, lessors, and debt holders, who are actively involved in the negotiations surrounding the restructuring of the group's airline assets.

Despite the challenges faced during the restructuring, HNA Group has successfully completed the reorganization of its 321 subsidiaries into four new entities as of April 2022, paving the way for a new chapter in the company's history.

The emergence of Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd as a significant investor, injecting $88 billion into HNA Group as part of the restructuring plan, is a surprising development in the complex financial landscape surrounding the conglomerate.


As HNA Group, the once-sprawling Chinese conglomerate, faces immense financial turmoil, strategic investors have swooped in to take advantage of the situation.

Specifically, Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd has emerged as a significant investor, injecting $88 billion into HNA Group as part of the restructuring plan, signaling an outside influence on the aviation arm of the company.

The restructuring process, which involves dividing HNA Group into 11 separate entities, has attracted the attention of these strategic investors who are eyeing the core airline businesses, particularly those with a presence in China.

Strategic investors have taken advantage of the financial turmoil at HNA Group to acquire core airline businesses, such as Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, and Tianjin Airlines, which were previously part of the HNA Group's vast empire.

Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd, a little-known steelmaker, emerged as a significant investor in HNA Group, injecting 38 billion yuan ($88 billion) into the company as part of the restructuring plan, showcasing the involvement of unexpected players in the airline industry's reshuffling.

The complex restructuring process of HNA Group, which involved dividing the company into 11 separate entities, has led to intricate negotiations between the conglomerate and its creditors, including airlines, lessors, and debt holders, affecting the operations of numerous HNA-associated airlines.

The legal dispute between HNA Group and Air Guilin, a smaller Chinese airline, over the valuation of assets has further complicated the restructuring efforts, highlighting the challenges faced in untangling the web of stakeholders involved in the airline industry's turmoil.

The restructuring plan approved by HNA Group's creditors aims to address the conglomerate's substantial debt burden of over 400 billion yuan, with the strategic investments being distributed across the newly formed entities to stabilize the company's financial situation.

Despite the opposition from tens of thousands of Chinese creditors owed money by HNA Group, the restructuring process has steadily progressed, with the Hainan High People's Court approving the plans for the group's various business units as of April

The suspension of all operations by Air Guilin in 2023 due to ongoing financial difficulties and legal disputes over its ownership suggests the precarious state of smaller Chinese airlines amidst the turmoil in the industry.

The lack of any new aircraft introductions by Air Guilin since July 2018 indicates a lack of investment and growth, further highlighting the challenges faced by the airline in the midst of the legal battle with its parent company, HNA Group.


Exploring China’s Airline Turmoil HNA Group’s Legal Clash with Air Guilin

Hainan Airlines, China's fourth-largest carrier, has been facing turbulent times due to its connection with the HNA Group, which has been going through a financial crisis.

The HNA Group, a Haikou-based conglomerate, has been restructuring after filing for bankruptcy with billions of dollars of debt in 2021.

Despite the bankruptcy filing, embezzlement charges, and large asset disputes, Hainan Airlines has been seen as attractive to new investors due to its stable operation.

The fate of HNA Group is seen as a sign of China Inc's foreign ambitions' end, marking the end of an era for China's overseas ambitions.

Hainan Airlines, China's fourth-largest carrier, managed to forecast a net profit of 259 billion yuan ($193 million) for 2021, despite the financial crisis engulfing its parent company, HNA Group.

The sudden death of Wang Jian, the co-chairman of HNA Group, while vacationing in France in 2018, marked a turning point in the conglomerate's downward spiral.

HNA Group's aggressive acquisition strategies in the early 2010s, which saw it invest in a wide range of industries, including airlines, hotels, and financial services, contributed significantly to its eventual downfall.

The Chinese government effectively seized control of HNA Group in 2020, signaling the end of the conglomerate's foreign ambitions and the start of a complex restructuring process.

Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd, a little-known steelmaker, emerged as a major investor in HNA Group, injecting $88 billion into the company as part of the restructuring plan.

The HNA Group's restructuring plan involved folding its 321 subsidiaries into four new entities, effectively dismantling the group's empire-like structure.

Despite facing opposition from tens of thousands of Chinese creditors, HNA Group's restructuring plan was approved by creditors and the Hainan High People's Court as of April

Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, and Tianjin Airlines, all previously associated with HNA Group, were affected by the conglomerate's restructuring, as creditors took charge of negotiations.

The legal dispute between HNA Group and its subsidiary, Air Guilin, over the valuation of assets further complicated the restructuring process, with Air Guilin suspending all operations in

The emergence of strategic investors, such as Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd, in the acquisition of HNA Group's core airline businesses highlights the industry's reshuffling amid the conglomerate's financial turmoil.


Leading airports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing are driving this growth, while China Southern Airlines remains the top carrier.

Industry experts anticipate heightened competition and pent-up demand, posing both opportunities and challenges for established airlines as they navigate this evolving landscape.

The C919, China's homegrown answer to Boeing and Airbus, has taken to the skies for its first commercial flight, marking a historic milestone for the country's aviation industry.

With the Global Market Forecast 2023 projecting a significant increase in demand for new passenger and freighter aircraft in the Chinese market, the future of China's aviation sector looks promising despite the ongoing turmoil in the industry.

China's domestic aviation market saw a remarkable surge in passenger numbers and capacity in January 2024, exceeding both the previous month and the same period a year earlier.

Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing airports have emerged as the leading hubs in China's burgeoning domestic aviation market.

China Southern Airlines maintained its position as the top carrier, followed by Air China and Hainan Airlines, as the industry navigates the evolving landscape.

Boeing has forecasted a staggering annual passenger traffic growth rate of 55% in China's aviation market over the next two decades, with a need for over 6,450 new single-aisle airplanes.

The C919, China's homegrown answer to Boeing and Airbus, has taken to the skies for its first commercial flight, marking a historic milestone for the country's aviation industry.

The Global Market Forecast 2023 projects that the demand for new passenger and freighter aircraft will reach 40,850 between 2023 and 2042, with approximately 23% (9,440 aircraft) expected to be delivered to the Chinese market.

Despite facing opposition from tens of thousands of Chinese creditors, the HNA Group's restructuring plan, involving the reorganization of 321 subsidiaries into four new entities, was successfully approved by creditors and the Hainan High People's Court.

Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd, a little-known steelmaker, emerged as a significant investor in HNA Group, injecting $88 billion into the company as part of the restructuring plan.

The legal dispute between HNA Group and its subsidiary, Air Guilin, over the valuation of assets has further complicated the restructuring process, leading to Air Guilin suspending all operations in

Strategic investors, such as Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co Ltd, have taken advantage of HNA Group's financial turmoil to acquire core airline businesses, including Hainan Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, and Tianjin Airlines.

Hainan Airlines, China's fourth-largest carrier, managed to forecast a net profit of 259 billion yuan ($193 million) for 2021, despite the financial crisis engulfing its parent company, HNA Group.

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