This book is significant because it is among the first English-language books to provide a systematic and comprehensive analysis of low-cost carriers (LCCs) in China. While LCCs have been widely studied in other regions, China’s LCC market has received limited attention in the English-language literature. By focusing on China’s distinctive regulatory, institutional, and market conditions, this book fills an important gap in international aviation studies.

China’s airline industry has undergone dramatic transformation since market-oriented reforms were undertaken and the rapid expansion of air travel demand occurred. Among the new entrants, Spring Airlines emerged as China’s first low-cost carrier and developed a distinctive business model that successfully adapted international LCC principles to the unique institutional, geographic, and competitive environment of China.

This book examines the evolution of China’s LCC sector through the case of Spring Airlines. It explores how aviation deregulation, economic growth, rising household incomes, and changing travel patterns created opportunities for low-cost aviation. The book analyzes the operational and strategic foundations of Spring Airlines, including cost management, route development, network expansion, fleet utilization, and revenue diversification. Attention is given to the challenges posed by China’s rapidly expanding high-speed rail network, airport capacity constraints, and changing environmental and sustainability requirements.

By placing Spring Airlines within the broader context of global LCC development in North America, Europe, and Asia, the book highlights both common features and uniquely Chinese characteristics of low-cost aviation. It also discusses the international expansion of the Spring Airlines Group and the development of Spring Japan.

Combining industry analysis, policy discussion, and case-study evidence, this book provides valuable insights for researchers, students, policy makers, and aviation professionals interested in airline strategy, transport economics, and the future of aviation in China.

Eiji Shiomi, born in 1947. Completed the master's program at the Graduate School of Waseda University and withdrew from the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Economics, Kyushu University. He previously served as Professor in the Faculty of Economics at Chuo University and as a Visiting Scholar at the University of British Columbia. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Chuo University. He also served as President of the Japan Society of Transportation Economics and is currently an honorary member of the society. He earned his Ph.D. from Kobe University. His major works include A Study of U.S. Aviation Policy, which received the Japan Society of Transportation Economics Award, the Japan Transportation Book Award, and other prizes. His translation of Airport Finance and Investment in the Global Economy received the Sumita Aviation Award. He has also authored Understanding Convenience Stores: Understanding Modern Business and numerous books and academic papers.

Chuan Yang, born in Beijing in 1968. She completed the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Economics, Chuo University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Economics. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Global Management at Chuo University. Her fields include applied microeconomics and industrial organization. Her work focuses primarily on the effects of competition and regulatory policies on markets, as well as the economics of regulated and network industries, including transportation, telecommunications, and electricity. She has published numerous academic papers.