China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China, today accepted its first of four brand new Airbus A330-200, becoming the first ever carrier in mainland China to operate such type of aircraft, and is part of the airline’s fleet renewal program. Mr. Liu Shao Yong, Chairman of China Southern Airlines, said, “Our newly introduced A330-200 will mainly be used on our medium and long haul routes, especially on our newly tapped International services. China Southern Airlines is dedicated to becoming the best chosen airline for customers. The introduction of this A330-200 aircraft will provide our passengers with a safe and comfortable flight experience. Additionally, this type of aircraft has operational generality, reducing airline’s training and maintenance cost.”

Mr. Noel Forgeard, President & CEO of Airbus Industry, added, “The A330-200 introduction marks that the cooperation between Airbus Industry and China Southern Airlines has entered into a new milestone. We are very delighted to set up a strategic cooperation relationship with China Southern Airlines. Recently, China Southern Airlines has made an order for five A380s, the largest passenger jet in the world, while today, China Southern accepts its first A330-200. We strongly believe that the A330-200s will give an important play in the development of China Southern Airlines.”

The two-engine powered A330 passenger jet combines the lowest operating cost with the maximum flexibility, capable of satisfying operations on varied differently structured routes. Among them, the A330-200 was put into service in 1998. This type of aircraft, with three standardized configurations, can seat 253 passengers in total. It was initiated upon the A330-300, which is longer than the A330-200 in length. The A330-200 has a maximum flight range up to 6650 nautical miles (i.e. 12300 kilometers), enjoying a lot of flexibility on the medium and long-haul routes.

China Southern Airlines currently operates 231 medium and large-sized transport jets, servicing its 17 operation bases and more than 660 routes. In 2004, China Southern Air Holding Company completed a total traffic of 6,528 million tons/kilometers, including cargo and mail traffic of 692,300 tons, and carried more than 39 million passengers. The indexes of its flight hours, take-offs & landings and total passengers transported are ranked first in mainland China. China Southern has entered into the global Top Ten passenger transport airlines. China Southern Airlines is the largest carrier in The People’s Republic of China in terms of fleet, operation bases, extensive domestic routes and flight frequencies.

China Southern Airlines’ service quality continues to improve and the airline has been honored with the Five Star diamond Award by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences; in 2004, China Southern Air Holding Company completed a total 748,000 transport flight hours and 4,282 general flight hours, ensuring aviation security for 126 consecutive months, the incident rate only marked as 0.004 per cent, much less than the CAAC defined 0.006 per cent.
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