China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines (simplified Chinese: 中国南方航空公司) (SSE: 600029, 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] China Southern is the world's 7th largest airline by passenger carried in 2007, and Asia's largest airline in terms of fleet size, the largest in Asia in passengers carried, also the 7th busiest in domestic passenger traffic and the 7th largest in scheduled domestic passenger-kilometres flown worldwide. China Southern is the largest in the People's Republic of China in terms of passengers carried. China Southern carries more domestic cargo than any other airline.[2] It is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. 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 Operational Safety Audit) for its safety practices.

History:

The airline started operations in 1989. In 1996, China Southern began long haul intercontinental routes with the first route being the Guangzhou-Beijing-Amsterdam route. In March 1997, the next route was the transpacific Guangzhou-Los Angeles, which is currently China Southern's longest flight. It also made history of being the 1st airline to fly a Boeing 777 twin engine non-stop across the Pacific. 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, it also added 2 more long haul routes to Sydney and Melbourne. 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 Terminal 3 expansion for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympics with smog in the distant background. China Southern Boeing 777-200 at Kansai Airport in Osaka, JapanThe 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 2007, China Southern Airlines overtook both All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines in terms of passenger numbers to become Asia's largest airline in passengers carried. Also, out of all the major airlines in the world (excluding low cost), it is the fastest growing airline in Asia by fleet size. It will also announce a large scale international boost, after rapidly increasing services to other countries, with both hubs in Guangzhou and Beijing. [4] The airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding on August 28, 2004 with the SkyTeam alliance. On November 15th, 2007, China Southern was officially welcomed as the 11th full member of the SkyTeam alliance, thus becoming the first mainland Chinese airline to enter a global airline alliance.[5][6] On January 15, 2009 the airline was the first Mainland China airline to open a branch office in TaiwanThe airline started operations in 1989. In 1996, China Southern began long haul intercontinental routes with the first route being the Guangzhou-Beijing-Amsterdam route. In March 1997, the next route was the transpacific Guangzhou-Los Angeles, which is currently China Southern's longest flight. It also made history of being the 1st airline to fly a Boeing 777 twin engine non-stop across the Pacific. 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, it also added 2 more long haul routes to Sydney and Melbourne. 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 Terminal 3 expansion for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympics with smog in the distant background. China Southern Boeing 777-200 at Kansai Airport in Osaka, JapanThe 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 2007, China Southern Airlines overtook both All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines in terms of passenger numbers to become Asia's largest airline in passengers carried. Also, out of all the major airlines in the world (excluding low cost), it is the fastest growing airline in Asia by fleet size. It will also announce a large scale international boost, after rapidly increasing services to other countries, with both hubs in Guangzhou and Beijing. [4] The airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding on August 28, 2004 with the SkyTeam alliance. On November 15th, 2007, China Southern was officially welcomed as the 11th full member of the SkyTeam alliance, thus becoming the first mainland Chinese airline to enter a global airline alliance.[5][6] On January 15, 2009 the airline was the first Mainland China airline to open a branch office in Taiwan.