The chairman of China Southern Airlines Co (CSA) is suspected of "serious disciplinary violation", the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China noted on its website Wednesday.
Si Xianmin, the chairman and non-executive director of the company, is the subject of an investigation, the website showed.
The probe is part of the government's broader campaign to root out corruption at major State-run companies.
Si is not the only executive at CSA to come under investigation.
In September, Yu Siyou, the former vice president of an e-commerce subsidiary of the carrier, was sentenced to 13 and one-half years in prison for embezzlement, Guangzhou-based newspaper Nanfang Metropolis Daily reported in September.
The newspaper said that Yu colluded with a ticket agent and illegally tampered with at least 19,902 tickets, reaping gains of about 3.86 million yuan ($608,833).
Yu also allegedly distributed union funds worth more than 210,000 yuan to colleagues in 2012 under the guise of corporate activities.
The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court announced the verdict in Yu's case on September 12, according to the newspaper.
CSA operates the largest fleet of civilian aircraft in China and has the largest passenger capacity.
The company reported 85.3 billion yuan ($13.5 billion) in operating revenue from January to September, an increase of 4.3 percent on a year-on-year basis, according to its financial report released on October 30.
The company recorded net profit of 5.7 billion yuan, up 3.9 billion yuan compared with the same period in 2014, as the report showed.
CSA operates more than 600 passenger and cargo transport aircraft, including Boeing 787s and Airbus A380s, according to the company's website.
It operates 2,000 daily flights to 195 destinations in 40 countries and regions globally.
