China Southern Airlines (中国南方航空公司) (SEHK: 1055, NYSE: ZNH) is an airline based in Guangzhou in the Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China.
Operating domestic, regional and international services[1], it is Asia's largest airline in terms of fleet
size, 2nd largest in Asia in passengers carried and the largest in China in terms of passengers carried.[2]
Its main operation hubs are Guangzhou Baiyun International
Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport, with
other focus cities at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport,
Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, Changchun Longjia International Airport, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport. [citation needed]
China Southern Airlines is also accredited by IATA with the
IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit) for its safety practices.[3]
History
The airline started operations in 1989. In June 1997 China Southern Airlines initial public
stock offering on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges
generated over $700 million. In July 2000, Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), selected China Southern as one of
three airlines to lead the restructuring of China's air transport industry. It acquired Zhongyuan Airlines on 4 August 2000.
In January 2003 the airline absorbed China Northern Airlines and its
subsidiaries Beiya Airlines and China Northern Swan, as well as China Xinjiang
Airlines, into its domestic operations. In November 2004 the acquisition was completed as China Southern acquired the
holding company that owned China Northern and China Xinjiang [1].
In 2004, the company achieved a turnover of around 40 million passengers, becoming one of the
top ten passenger carriers in the world. Among all Chinese airlines, it boasts the largest fleet with the most bases, most
extensive domestic networks and highest flight frequencies. Renowned for its excellent passenger services, the airline has won
Five-star Diamond Award for flight services and has been honoured as China's best airline by TTG Asia Magazine.[citation needed]
China Southern Airlines Boeing 777 at Beijing Capital International Airport in front of the new Terminal 3 expansion for the
upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympics.
China Southern Boeing 777-200 at Kansai Airport in Osaka, Japan
It signed a Memorandum of Understanding on August 28, 2004
with SkyTeam alliance, which it will then be able to join, thus becoming the first
mainland Chinese airline to enter a global airline alliance. They are scheduled to join
in late 2007. Members of some SkyTeam mileage program are already able to earn and redeem miles on
China Southern and so can members of China Southern Airlines' own frequent flyer programs, the SkyPearl club, for flights on some
SkyTeam carriers.[4]
On January 29 2005, Flight CZ3097 became the first
Chinese aircraft landing Taiwan in a legal situation after the separation for over 56 years. That was the effort of the
arrangement of "the Cross-strait Charter on Lunar New Year". The flight arrive at the Chiang
Kai-shek International Airport (present Taiwan Taoyuan International
Airport) in Taoyuan, Taiwan Province at local time 9:20 am. However, CZ3097 is not the
earliest departed plane. The reason its being the first arrived is that the departure, Guangzhou, is closer to Taipei than
Air China's Beijing.(the two estimated taking-off at the same time)
The airline is owned by China Southern Air Holding (50.3%), private Hong Kong and non-China
investors (H shareholders) (26.84%) and private China investors (A shareholders) (22.86%). It has 34,417 employees as at March
2007[1].
In August 2007, China Southern Airlines overtook
All Nippon Airways to become 2nd largest Airline in Asia and is expected to overtake
Japan Airlines in terms of passenger numbers within a few years, which is currently Asias
largest airline in passengers carried.
Destinations
- Further information: China Southern Airlines
destinations
Fleet
The China Southern Airlines operates the following aircraft as of March 2007:
Cargo
China Southern Cargo the airlines freight branch serve points in USA, Europe and Asia.
Average fleet age is 7.0 years as of March 2007[6]
Aircraft orders
- Delivery of the first Airbus A330-243 to China Southern Airlines took place on
25 February 2005, with the second in March 2005. It is the
first operator of the type in China and has a further two on order due for delivery in the first half of 2005. The aircraft seats
266 passengers and will be operated mainly on medium and long range routes, including some possible new international routes.
[citation needed]
- China Southern Airlines has agreed a leasing deal for 9 Boeing 737-800 from
GECAS for 7 years, with deliveries to be completed by February
2006[7].
- An agreement has been signed with Airbus for the purchase of 5 Airbus A380-800 aircraft
for delivery in time for the 2008 Olympics. It is the
first commitment for the type from a Chinese carrier. China Southern has also signed initial agreement for the purchase of 13
Boeing 787 aircraft, of which 3 would be for its affiliate Xiamen Airlines. The aircraft would be delivered between 2008 and 2010[8].
- The airline has placed an order for 10 Airbus A330 aircraft, also to be delivered in
time for the 2008 Olympics [9].
- On the 7 July 2006 China Southern Airlines has confirmed a deal
with Airbus covering the purchase of 50 more A320 narrowbodies for delivery from 2009.[citation needed]
- In 2006, China Southern Airlines has placed an order of 6 B777 freighters, striding forward a brand new step in its cargo
development.[10]
- In August 2007, the airline announced its intention for an
order for 55 Boeing 737-700/800 to be delivered from 2011. Details on how many of each
variant is not yet available.[11]
Codeshare agreements
China Southern Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
Incidents and accidents
- On November 24 1992, Flight 3943, a Boeing 737 jetliner (Reg. B-2523), crashed in to a hill near Guilin,
Guangxi, killing all 141 on board, due to an engine thrust malfunction.[12]
- On May 8 1997, Flight 3456, a Boeing 737-300 jetliner (Reg.
B-2925),
crashed on approach into Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
killing 35, with 9 injured.[13]
- On August 22 2006, flight CZ325 from Guangzhou, China to
Sydney, Australia had to be turned back to Guangzhou after a note had been found indicating a bomb was on board. The plane was
returned to Guangzhou after one hour into the flight. Passengers were interviewed by police for two hours after landing, after
which they were allowed back onto the plane to resume their journey. A 39-year-old Australian businessman of Hong Kong origin was
arrested after Chinese police matched his handwriting with that of the threatening note found in the lavatory. He was allegedly
to have told police that he had made the threat because he was lovesick and suffering from depression over a failed relationship,
the Xinhua news agency was quoted as saying.[14][15][16]
References
- ^ a b c "Directory: World
Airlines", Flight International, 2007-04-03, p. 65.
- ^ China Southern Airlines website, in Chinese
- ^ IATA
- ^ http://www.skyteam.com/EN/faq/index.jsp
- ^ China Southern Airlines To Serve Detroit from Beijing
- ^ China
Southern Airlines Fleet Age
- ^ Airliner World, March 2005
- ^ Airliner World, April 2005
- ^ Find
Articles
- ^ http://www.cs-air.com/en/nhsj/01/depa_info/index.htm
- ^ "China Southern to order 55 more 737s" Flight Global, 21 August 2007
- ^ AirDisaster.Com Accident Database
- ^ AirDisaster.Com Accident Database
- ^ News
- ^ MSN News
- ^ ABC News
External links
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