China Southern has placed an order for 100 Comac C919s, completing the trifecta of state-owned airlines committing to the domestically developed aircraft.
Traffic for the leading Chinese carriers during Q1 2024 reveal record-high performances, with positive year-on-year increases, as well as growth against Q1 2019.
Air China plans to open its first route to Saudi Arabia in May, while China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines are launching new European flights.
With domestic traffic already surpassing pre-pandemic levels, the results are a clear indication of the carriers' glacial recovery of international capacity.
A selection of 50 new routes starting this month, including new services being launched China Eastern Airlines, Singapore Airlines and GOL Líneas Aéreas.
This week’s analysis focuses on four Asia-Pacific full-service carriers: Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines.
China Eastern will become the first Chinese airline offering regular scheduled flights to Saudi Arabia, while China Southern is adding a second route to Iran.
A selection of 60 new routes starting in December, including long-haul services being launched by United Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.
The news of the capacity boost comes on the heels of China’s “Big Three” carriers all reporting their first quarterly profits since the pandemic started.
Tianjin Airlines is opening a new Chongqing-Sydney route from as the Chinese airport continues with infrastructure developments to swell passenger capacity.
