Xiamen Airlines

Is Xiamen Airlines safe?

Mostly, yes. Xiamen Airlines, majority-owned by China Southern and based in Fujian province on the coast facing Taiwan, has never had a fatal accident caused by its own crews or aircraft. Its one fatal event was a hijacking in 1990. We score it 80. What holds it back is a 2018 runway excursionRunway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary at Manila that wrote off a Boeing 737, and the investigation's finding that the captain ignored a call to go around.

The Manila runway excursion

On the night of 16 August 2018, flight MF8667, a Boeing 737-800 from Xiamen, approached Manila's runway 24 as a thunderstorm passed over the airport. The crew had held for about 14 minutes and abandoned a first approach. On the second, the aircraft touched down at 23:55, drifted left and left the runway. The left engine separated. All 165 people on board got out by the slides without injury, but the aircraft was written offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary.

The Philippine investigators' findings, as summarised by the Aviation Safety Network, were direct:

• The captain continued to land from an unstable approach without enough visual reference in the rain, and the aircraft was rolling left and drifting off the centreline before touchdown.
• The captain did not follow the first officer's call to go around.
• The crew did not plan for the storm, the crosswind, possible wind shear or a notice that some runway lights were out.
• Xiamen Airlines' own procedures gave crews too little guidance on calling a go-around during landing.
• An uneven runway strip with concrete obstacles, not built to ICAO standards, added to the damage.

The finding on company procedures is the one that matters most for passengers today. It points to the airline's training and cockpit culture, not just one bad night. We found no similar event since then, but China's regulator does not publish enough to show how the airline changed its procedures.

The 1990 hijacking

On 2 October 1990, a hijacker took over Xiamen Airlines flight 8301, a Boeing 737-200, and the aircraft crashed while landing at Guangzhou. It struck a China Southern 757 waiting with passengers on the ground and a second parked jet. 82 of the 102 people on the Xiamen 737 died, and 46 on the 757. The Aviation Safety Network classes it as unlawful interference, not an accident, and we weigh it lightly at this distance.

Fleet and ownership

China Southern's 2026 interim report lists Xiamen Airlines, with its own subsidiaries Hebei Airlines and Jiangxi Airlines, at 224 aircraft on 30 June 2026. China Southern holds 55%, Xiamen Jianfa Group 34% and Fujian Investment and Development Group 11%. The fleet is built around Boeing: 737-800s, 737 MAX 8s and 787 widebodies for long-haul routes.

Xiamen Airlines does not publish an average fleet age in the sources we found, so we score the fleet as a mix of mid-life 737-800s and newer MAXs and 787s. In April 2026, China Southern and Xiamen Airlines agreed to buy 137 A320neo-family jets between them.

Oversight

China holds FAA Category 1FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary (April 2025 list), and no Chinese airline is on the EU Air Safety ListEU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary (June 2026). China reported a 90.19% score in its 2024 ICAO audit. Xiamen Airlines is an IATA member and therefore 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 for other Chinese airlines, we hold oversight at 80 because the Civil Aviation Administration of China publishes few investigation reports.

Before you fly

• Expect weather delays in typhoon season. From July to October, storms often close Xiamen and Fuzhou for hours. Let the airline cancel rather than push for a departure.
• Hebei and Jiangxi Airlines are subsidiaries with their own certificates. If your booking says one of them operates the flight, that is normal.
• A go-around is a good sign. If your crew aborts a landing in bad weather, they are doing exactly what the MF8667 captain did not.

How we scored it

The accident record (84) is good but includes the 2018 hull lossHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary. Serious incidents (74) reflect the Manila findings on crew decisions and company procedures. Compare China Southern, Xiamen's parent, which has had no hull loss of its own in 20 years, and Air China.