Juneyao Airlines

Is Juneyao Airlines safe?

Yes. Juneyao Airlines, a privately owned full-service airline based in Shanghai, has flown since 2006 without a fatal accident or a lost aircraft. Its 103 aircraft are all fly-by-wireFly-by-wireA flight control system in which the pilot's inputs go to computers, which then move the control surfaces. Many such systems also stop unsafe manoeuvres.More in the glossary Airbus A320-family jets and Boeing 787s, at an average age of about 8.4 years by our calculation, and it is IOSA-registeredIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary as an IATA member. We score it 84, a point below Spring Airlines across town and two points above Shanghai Airlines.

The catch is in the incident record. In 2018 a Juneyao crew began a take-off at Naha, Okinawa, without clearance while another aircraft was still on the runway, and in April 2026 an A321 landed hard enough at Chongqing to stay on the ground for days.

What happened at Naha in 2018?

On 18 March 2018, flight HO1332 to Shanghai Pudong, an A320 with 115 people on board, was cleared to line up on runway 18 and wait. The crew read the instruction back correctly, lined up and then started the take-off roll. A Japan Coast Guard Falcon 900 with five people on board was still leaving the runway after landing. The tower told the A320 to stop; the crew did not hear it, and the jet took off and flew on to Shanghai.

Japan's Transport Safety Board investigated it as a serious incident. Its final report put the gap between the two aircraft at about 1,330 m, enough time and distance to avoid a collision under ICAO's grading, and found it somewhat likely that the captain made a hasty judgment that take-off clearance had been given, without the pilots confirming it with each other. A third pilot in the observer seat, in training, was handling the radio. That is a crew procedure failure, not a technical one, and it is the main reason we score incidents at 70.

The Chongqing hard landing in April 2026

On 9 April 2026, flight HO1249, an A321 from Pudong, touched down hard at Chongqing, bounced and touched down hard again. Data reported in China put the loads at 3.06 g and 2.12 g. The return flight was cancelled and the aircraft was still at Chongqing five days later. The Southwest Regional Administration of the CAAC opened an investigation, and nobody was reported hurt.

The weather at the time was calm, with light winds and good visibility, according to the reports. Until the investigation says more, we treat the event as a minor accident: it keeps the accident factor at 92 rather than at the top of the band. If the damage turns out to be substantial or the cause points to crew training, we will revisit both factors.

Other events on record are minor: a cracked captain's window at cruise in February 2022 that led to a diversion to Wuhan, and cargo smoke or fire warnings in 2014 and 2018 that ended with safe landings. Because the CAAC publishes few reports, a short list like this says less than it would for an airline in Europe or Japan.

What does Juneyao fly?

At 30 June 2026, Juneyao itself had 93 A320-family jets (30 A320ceo, 27 A321ceo, 22 A320neo and 14 A321neo) and 10 Boeing 787s, according to its interim report. The report gives ages by financing type rather than by airline; from those tables, the A320 family averages about 8.7 years and the 787s about 5 years, which gives about 8.4 years for Juneyao's own fleet. Two types, both fly-by-wireFly-by-wireA flight control system in which the pilot's inputs go to computers, which then move the control surfaces. Many such systems also stop unsafe manoeuvres.More in the glossary, and close to half of the jets are latest-generation neos or 787s. We score the fleet 86.

The report also shows each A320 in the register flying 8.73 hours a day on average, against 11.04 hours for each aircraft that was available. That gap means part of the A320 fleet stood idle in the first half of 2026. The report does not say why.

Who is 9 Air?

9 Air is Juneyao's wholly owned low-cost airline at Guangzhou Baiyun, with 27 Boeing 737s at an average of about 9 years. It flies under its own code (AQ) and its own certificate, so its record is not counted on this page. If your ticket says AQ, you are flying 9 Air, not Juneyao.

How to fly Juneyao safely

Juneyao's 787s fly long routes from Shanghai, and its A320s cover China and nearby Asia, including Chengdu flights to the hillier west. On any flight into Chongqing or Chengdu in the summer storm season, expect bumpy approaches and keep your belt fastened until the aircraft stops at the gate. On long 787 sectors, keep it loosely fastened while you sleep, so the crew does not have to wake you when the seat-belt sign comes on.

How we scored it

The accident record (92) has no deaths or lost aircraft in 20 years, docked for the 2026 Chongqing hard landing. The young two-type fleet (86) is the next strongest factor. Incidents (70) are held down by the 2018 Naha take-off and by how little the CAAC publishes. Overall 84.