Did you know that, until relatively recently, China Southern Airlines used to fly the Boeing 757? According to data from ATDB.aero, the Guangzhou-headquartered carrier operated 32 examples of the manufacturer's 757-200 model between the 1980s and the 2010s. Let's take a look at what happened to these narrowbodies.

Varied arrival times

Rather than receiving its 32 examples of the Boeing 757-200 over a few years as part of a single order, China Southern Airlines took deliveries of the type in several waves. The first of these saw four come onboard in the late 1980s, spanning September 1987 (B-2801) to August 1989 (B-2806/7).

Moving into the 1990s, this particular decade saw a good deal more activity in terms of Boeing 757-200 arrivals at China Southern Airlines. After six deliveries in 1990, another three examples came onboard in 1991. While 1992 proved to be a quieter year, with just one arrival, things ramped up in 1993, another six-delivery year. B-2838 was the final 1990s arrival, joining in May of 1994.

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While most of the 1980s and 1990s arrivals were brand-new aircraft, the turn of the millennium marked a step change, as China Southern Airlines began receiving second-hand 757s. The carrier's final 11 examples all came onboard in 2004, with their deliveries occurring between April and November.

Different destinations

Almost all of China Southern Airlines' Boeing 757-200s left the carrier in the 21st century. However, three departed before the new millennium, with the first being B-2812 in October 1990. According to the Aviation Safety Network, this particular aircraft was destroyed in a fatal collision with another jet on the ground in Guangzhou. Two more 757s left in 1998 after their leases ended.

Moving into the 21st century, 2006 saw four departures, three going to Jet2 and the other to Air Astana. Meanwhile, in 2007, Pegasus Aviation took on two of the type, with a third going to Primaris Airlines. Two more examples departed in 2008 when they were converted to fly cargo for FedEx. 2009 saw another 757 leave for Pegasus Aviation, as well as two BBAM-bound departures.

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The 2010s saw a great many more departures in terms of China Southern Airlines' dwindling Boeing 757-200 fleet, with B-2851 being the last to depart, doing so in February 2010. The aircraft that left during that decade ended up at carriers such as ACG, China Postal Airlines, SCAT, and YTO Express Airlines.

A brief history of the Boeing 757

Eastern Air Lines first introduced the 757 back in January 1983. Just over 20 years later, towards the end of 2003, Boeing decided to end the production of its popular 757. Ultimately, the firm took this decision because of the increased abilities of the newest 737s, and the new 787 fulfilled the 757 market's requirements.

Subsequently, on April 27th, 2005, Boeing ended the plane's run. The final passenger unit was delivered to another Chinese carrier, Shanghai Airlines. This 757 was the 1,050th unit produced. Airlines taking on the plane would have been keen to try its advancements over its predecessor. Passengers and crew alike would have noticed improvements with the type's introduction.

Photo: Fasttailwind/Shutterstock

Nowadays, the aging Boeing 757 is slowly but surely being replaced by other modern narrowbodies for passenger operations. Nonetheless, it looks like it will still have a role to play in cargo services for a while. After all, ch-aviation.com shows that some 212 B757 freighters of different variants remain active today.

What are your thoughts about China Southern's Boeing 757s? Have you flown on the aircraft over the years? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: ATDB.aero, Aviation Safety Network, ch-aviation.com