The airline was established in July 2004 as a start-up airline known as
Shilin Airlines.
Hainan Airlines had invested 2.93 million yuan in the company, while its affiliate
Shanxi Airlines invested 47.07 million yuan. The airlines provided the new company with three
Dornier aircraft, a
Boeing aircraft, and a
Dash-8. The Yunnan Shilin Tourism Aviation Co. also invested a further 1 million yuan. On 23 December 2005, Shilin Airlines was renamed Lucky Air. It started operations with a flight between Kunming and Dali within Yunnan on 26 February 2006. The airline is owned by Hainan Airlines, Shanxi Airlines and Yunnan Shilin Tourism Aviation. It has 263 employees (at March 2007). On 10 January 2025, Lucky Air flight 8L843 left
Dali Fengyi Airport for
Kuala Lumpur, marking the first international direct air route from the
prefecture. == Destinations ==