ROUTES ASIA: Domestic Skies: China - An Analysis of the Local Market

Every week The HUB provides statistics highlighting airline and airport activity in an individual domestic market, showing its historical development over the past 30 years, the key operators during this period.

In the first of three special The HUB Daily publications for Routes Asia we highlight the Chinese domestic market and chart its staggering growth during the period with the number of annual flights growing from 69,810 to a massive 2.39 million last year and seat capacity showing amazing development from 5.56 million in 1982 to 366.87 million in 2011. There has been year-on-year capacity growth in each of the 30 years, with more than two thirds of them seeing double-digit rises. Only on two occasions during the period - 1984 and 1992 - has the number of flights actually reduced from the previous year.

SCHEDULED AIR SERVICES IN CHINA INCLUDING HONG KONG AND MACAU (non-stop departures)

Year

Departures

% Change

Available Seats

% Change

Leading Operating Airlines (Marketshare)

1982

69,810

-

5,560,925

-

AIR CHINA (99.3 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (0.7%)

-

1983

80,755

15.7 %

6,538,208

17.6 %

AIR CHINA (99.1 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (0.9%)

-

1984

79,512

(-1.5) %

6,724,555

2.9 %

AIR CHINA (98.6 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (0.9%)

BRITISH AIRWAYS (0.5 %)

1985

82,548

3.8 %

8,106,769

20.6 %

AIR CHINA (98.5 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (1.1%)

BRITISH AIRWAYS (0.4 %)

1986

95,723

16.0 %

10,091,196

24.5 %

AIR CHINA (98.1 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (1.6%)

BRITISH AIRWAYS (0.3 %)

1987

109,113

14.0 %

11,475,646

13.7 %

AIR CHINA (98.1 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (1.6%)

BRITISH AIRWAYS (0.3 %)

1988

128,560

17.8 %

14,788,624

28.9 %

AIR CHINA (96.6 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (1.7%)

DRAGONAIR (1.5 %)

1989

145,254

13.0 %

16,638,632

12.5 %

AIR CHINA (96.3 %)

DRAGONAIR (2.3 %)

CATHAY PACIFIC (1.5 %)

1990

150,371

3.5 %

19,069,639

14.6%

AIR CHINA (54.5 %)

CHINA SOUTHERN (18.5%)

CHINA EASTERN (11.3 %)

1991

186,578

24.1 %

22,898,515

20.1%

AIR CHINA (38.2 %)

CHINA SOUTHERN (21.9%)

CHINA EASTERN (20.4 %)

1992

175,464

(-6.0) %

24,377,108

6.5 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (26.4%)

CHINA EASTERN (23.2 %)

AIR CHINA (18.4 %)

1993

252,657

44.0 %

39,077,189

60.3 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (25.2%)

CHINA EASTERN (15.7 %)

AIR CHINA (13.2 %)

1994

330,136

30.7 %

50,338,444

28.8 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (23.5%)

CHINA EASTERN (14.4 %)

AIR CHINA (12.7 %)

1995

415,685

25.9 %

61,129,400

21.4 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (21.4%)

CHINA EASTERN (13.6 %)

AIR CHINA (11.8 %)

1996

453,144

9.0 %

68,176,249

11.5 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (24.1%)

CHINA EASTERN (12.2 %)

AIR CHINA (11.6 %)

1997

490,587

8.3 %

76,170,980

11.7 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (22.4%)

CHINA EASTERN (12.3 %)

CHINA SOUTHWEST (11.9 %)

1998

515,461

5.1 %

81,757,916

7.3 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (20.3%)

CHINA EASTERN (13.6 %)

CHINA SOUTHWEST (11.5 %)

1999

573,447

11.2 %

90,051,106

10.1 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (20.3%)

CHINA EASTERN (12.2 %)

AIR CHINA (10.1 %)

2000

643,802

12.3 %

100,887,291

12.0 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (19.9%)

CHINA SOUTHWEST (10.3 %)

AIR CHINA (9.2 %)

2001

706,640

9.8 %

111,315,181

10.3 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (20.3%)

CHINA EASTERN (10.1 %)

CHINA SOUTHWEST (10.0 %)

2002

807,562

14.3 %

124,810,700

12.1 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (19.5%)

AIR CHINA (10.5 %)

CHINA SOUTHWEST (10.3 %)

2003

879,259

8.9 %

137,508,381

10.2 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (27.3%)

AIR CHINA (19.6 %)

CHINA EASTERN (19.3 %)

2004

1,100,054

25.1 %

168,216,379

22.3 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (28.4%)

CHINA EASTERN (20.7 %)

AIR CHINA (17.6 %)

2005

1,287,695

17.1 %

192,954,514

14.7 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (27.4%)

CHINA EASTERN (20.8 %)

AIR CHINA (16.7 %)

2006

1,464,837

13.8 %

218,921,625

13.5 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (26.1%)

CHINA EASTERN (20.1 %)

AIR CHINA (16.4 %)

2007

1,678,323

14.6 %

250,360,461

14.4 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (25.4%)

CHINA EASTERN (19.9 %)

AIR CHINA (15.3 %)

2008

1,754,433

4.5 %

263,692,667

5.3 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (24.8%)

CHINA EASTERN (19.2 %)

AIR CHINA (15.3 %)

2009

2,054,211

17.1 %

313,214,270

18.8 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (23.1%)

CHINA EASTERN (19.0 %)

AIR CHINA (14.9 %)

2010

2,233,886

8.7 %

341,178,975

8.9 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (22.9%)

CHINA EASTERN (18.2 %)

AIR CHINA (14.8 %)

2011

2,392,923

7.1 %

366,872,020

7.5 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (21.4%)

CHINA EASTERN (17.5 %)

AIR CHINA (13.9 %)

2012

2,409,091

0.7 %

374,728,353

2.1 %

CHINA SOUTHERN (21.0%)

CHINA EASTERN (17.7 %)

AIR CHINA (14.1 %)

Richard Maslen

Richard Maslen has travelled across the globe to report on developments in the aviation sector as airlines and airports have continued to evolve and…