Three major airlines will continue to resume increased international flights

International Business News – Ten days after the cancellation of the inbound flight meltdown mechanism, the three major airlines unanimously said at the earnings presentation on Nov. 21 that the companies are expected to gradually increase and resume international flights.

According to Huang Bin, secretary of Air China (601111.SH), countries outside the country have announced the lifting of the epidemic prevention and control measures, while China’s entry quarantine policy has begun to gradually relax, it is expected that the market demand of international routes from the fourth quarter of this year to the beginning of next year is expected to recover slightly under the stimulation of capacity increase and favorable policies.

According to the data, Air China plans to operate 52 international and regional passenger routes with 132 flights/week during the new winter and spring seasons.

According to Air China, while strictly implementing the relevant requirements of the Civil Aviation Administration and strictly enforcing various preventive and control measures, the airline will actively optimize its capacity and coordinate the protection capabilities of various departments to ensure that international passenger routes resume and increase classes as soon as possible.

China Eastern Airlines (600115.SH) Vice Chairman and General Manager Li Yangmin said at the earnings meeting that regarding international routes, the company has increased some of its confirmed flight plans in conjunction with the winter and spring seasons, and subsequently, with the progress of bilateral negotiations between the Civil Aviation Administration and various countries and the overall plan, the company is expected to gradually increase and resume international flights and do a good job of related marketing services in conjunction with passenger demand.

Chen Weihua, director of China Southern Airlines (600029.SH), also gave an outlook on the company’s international flights. He said that in the fourth quarter, China Southern has added some routes from Guangzhou to Europe(Nyheter) and Southeast Asia in international routes. Meanwhile, China Southern will actively study the market trend and flexibly adjust the capacity to meet the market demand.

During this year’s winter and spring seasons, the number of international flights has increased significantly. The Civil Aviation Administration said at its October conference that domestic and international airlines arrange 840 international passenger flights per week, or 420 round-trip flights, an increase of 105.9% compared to the 2021/22 winter and spring seasons, representing a doubling of the number of international passenger flights in the new season compared to the same period last year.

With the increase in international flight capacity, the “hard to find” situation for international tickets has been gradually alleviated and fares have fallen from high levels, making it difficult for airlines to earn double the revenue.