15 Jun 2020

China Aviation Industry Newsletter 15 June

China's aviation authority: Chinese airlines industry on the mend China’s air passenger traffic halved in May from a year earlier as the coronavirus pandemic hampered travel in the country although the pace of decline slowed from the previous month, showing the industry is on track for a gradual recovery.  Air passengers numbered 25.83 million in May, down 52.6% year-on-year according to Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). That compared with a 68.5% year-on-year decline in April, when passengers numbered 16.72 million. China Eastern Airlines: 200+ Medical Supply Flights to Europe China Eastern Airlines performed 300 cargo flights per week recently. As of May, CEA performed accumulatively 4,000 flights involved in humanitarian and relief missions, carried 23,000 medical personnel and transported 10,000 tons of medical supplies among 20 countries across the globe. The airline has transformed 14 Airbus A330 passenger planes by removing seats; consequently the original 90 square meters space is doubled. As the main type of plane model on the route between Europe and China, the modified A330 planes play a more important role during the special time. CEA transported 2,000 tons of medical supplies to Europe, connecting lives between China and over 20 cities in Europe. China Eastern Forms New Hainan Carrier An new international airline company to be created in Hainan province by China Eastern Airlines and its partners will tap into the aviation boom driven by the construction of the island's free trade port, analysts said. The joint venture, Sanya International Airlines, was launched under a cooperation framework agreement reached on Saturday between China Eastern and its partners. According to the deal, the company will be controlled by China Eastern, while Hainan Province Transport Investment Holding, Sanya Development Holdings, Juneyao Airlines and Trip.com Group will have stakes in it. China Express Airlines to buy 100 COMAC planes China Express Airlines said it had signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) to buy a total of 100 ARJ21 and C919 passenger aircraft for delivery from 2020. China Express and COMAC will also deepen cooperation on aircraft design and optimization, maintenance and services, and overseas market expansion, especially in countries that have signed up to China's Belt and Road Initiative and African markets, the carrier said. China Southern Expands Fleet to Boost Cargo Operations China Southern Airlines has added two new Boeing 777 cargo aircraft to its fleet and pledged to enhance its cargo capacity via retrofitted passenger aircraft to bolster the country's insufficient airfreight capacity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The two new aircraft added in late May, the airline's cargo plane fleet now stands at 16, and the number of scheduled international all-cargo flights is now capable of reaching 56 per week. They will be deployed on air routes between Guangzhou and Frankfurt; Shenzhen, Guangdong province and Chicago; and Guangzhou and London. Acumen Aviation © 15 June 2020 All Rights Reserved.