Sichuan Airlines (3U, Chengdu Shuangliu) is mulling filing an application to join one of the major international alliances, Air Transport World has reported citing inside sources.

Sichuan Airlines' minority shareholders include China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, which hold a 49% stake between them. Both carriers are members of the SkyTeam alliance. Another minority shareholder of Sichuan Airlines is Shandong Airlines, which is, in turn, part-owned by Air China, a member of Star Alliance.

In China, Star Alliance also counts Shenzhen Airlines among its members, while Xiamen Airlines is a member of SkyTeam. The third large alliance, oneworld, currently does not have any members from mainland China.