This Day, That Year

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

On March 4, 1987, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released a plan to reform the country's civil aviation system, ending the monopoly of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Under the plan, six national airline companies would be set up to compete with the 17 domestic airlines already established at that time. The six were Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China Southwest Airlines, China Northwest Airlines and China Northern Airlines.