China Southern Airlines—www.cs-air.com/en—the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China, will, for the first time in its history, carry more than 40 Million passengers in one year.

“This truly is amazing. To be able to carry 40 Million passengers in one year is an astounding achievement for our airline company,” said Mr. Li Kun, Executive Vice President, China Southern Airlines. He pointed to several areas which boosted China Southern’s accelerated growth in 2004:

Airline Mergers: The complete integration of Xinjiang Airlines and China Northern Airlines into the China Southern group has rapidly expanded the airline’s domestic market share (now close to 40%) while further deepening China Southern’s flight operations into markets such as Shenyang, Dalian, Harbin, and Changchun (primary operational bases for the former China Northern Airlines) and Urumqi (primary operational base for the former Xinjiang Airlines). On the International front (from its bases in Northeastern China), the former China Northern Airlines provides China Southern customers with regular service to 29 International routes to North Asia and Russia. From Urumqi, the former Xinjiang Airlines offers passengers seven International routes to major cities in the Middle East, Russia and West Asia.

New FFP Customers: With the merger of the two airlines have come tens of thousands of new frequent flyers to China Southern’s Sky Pearl Club, which now totals more than 2.5 Million members.

New Baiyun International Airport: After more than a decade of planning, the new Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou opened August 5th this year and stands as China’s largest airport and one of the world’s finest air transportation complexes. In 2004, China Southern Airlines revamped its operations into a “total hub concept” which quickly moves in-bound International passengers to beyond destinations throughout China as well as providing a platform for the airline’s booming domestic point-to-point air service.

“China is a nation on the move. The sheer numbers of the domestic market alone is staggering,” said Mr. Li. He explained that more than 600 Million people in the major cities of China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, “have for the first time access to safe, reliable, affordable air transportation on a scale never before imagined. China Southern Airlines will continue to offer passengers air transportation services on a fleet of modern new Airbus and Boeing aircraft.”

Mr. Li explained that “with our fully integrated operations between Urumqi, Shenyang and Guangzhou, 40 Million passengers in one year is just the start. It is certainly conceivable for our airline to carry 50 Million passengers a year - 60 Million passengers a year and more.”
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