China Southern Airlines (branded as China Southern) is a major airline in China, headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. It is one of the three major airlines in the country, along with Air China and China Eastern Airlines.

Established on 1 July 1988 following the restructuring of CAAC that acquired and merged several domestic airlines, the airline became the world's sixth-largest airline measured by passengers carried and Asia's largest airline in fleet size, revenue, and passengers carried. In 2024, it ranked as the world's ninth-largest airline by brand market value.

With its main hubs at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, the airline operates more than 2,000 flights to more than 200 destinations daily and was a member of SkyTeam until 1 January 2019. The airline started a frequent flyer program partnership with American Airlines in March 2019. The logo of the airline consists of a kapok flower (which is also the city flower of Guangzhou) on a blue tail fin. The company slogan is Fly towards your dreams. The airline also operates cargo flights branded under the name China Southern Cargo.

The parent company of China Southern Airlines Company Limited is China Southern Air Holding Company, a state-owned enterprise that is supervised by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

China Southern Airlines was established on July 1, 1988, as part of the Chinese government's initiative to decentralize the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and liberalize the Chinese aviation market. This restructuring aimed to transform CAAC's regional divisions into independent commercial entities. China Southern emerged from the former Guangzhou Regional Administration of CAAC, marking its inception as a separate airline. However, the airline's first commercial operations under its own name and livery didn't launch until February 1991.

The airline completed its decentralization from CAAC when it gained independence on 10 October 1993. During the airline's early years, the carrier was the dominant domestic carrier. Together with the two major airlines of China – Air China and China Eastern – the airline handled half of the passenger traffic carried by all Chinese carriers. Owing to Air China's status as the country's flag carrier, the airline is entitled to extensive international service rights, with China Eastern and China Southern's international networks confined to mainly East Asia and within Asia, respectively. Like other Chinese carriers, China Southern was subjected to CAAC's exclusive right to grant route-specific operating licenses and domestic prices.

To raise its operating standards and distance itself from mostly unprofitable second and third-tier domestic airlines, the carrier signed agreements with several foreign carriers regarding staff training and aircraft maintenance, with the ultimate aim of being listed on the New York Stock Exchange, possibly as soon as early 1995.

Starting in the mid-1990s, China Southern sought to expand its international reach beyond Asia. In December 1995, the Chinese and United States governments signed an aviation agreement that would allow the commencement of non-stop air services between the two countries. After having been granted the right to establish services to Amsterdam in early 1996, the airline started Guangzhou–Beijing–Amsterdam, its first long-haul route, in November 1996. The following year, the carrier commenced non-stop trans-Pacific services to Los Angeles, as well as services to Brisbane.