Shandong Airlines Co., Ltd. (nicknamed SDA or ) is an airline based in the Shandong Airlines Center in Jinan, Shandong.[3][4] The Chinese carrier operates a sizable domestic network from Jinan, Qingdao, and Yantai to major cities across China, together with an international network to regional Asian destinations. The airline's two largest shareholders are Shandong Aviation Group, with a 37% controlling stake, and Air China, a strategic partner, holding 51% of the airlines shares.[5]
Shandong Airlines was established on 12 March 1994 and started operations in September of the same year. In September 1997, it became a founding member of the New Star (Xinxing) Aviation Alliance together with five other Chinese provincial airlines. The purpose of the alliance was to improve finances and deter takeover from larger competitors.[6] The airline's first of many new international services commenced on 8 June 2004, connecting Jinan to Singapore via Shenzhen.