The Senior Air Transport Editor for Aviation Week, Adrian Scofield, had the distinct privilege of speaking with China Southern Airlines Senior Vice President for International and Corporate Relations, Guoxiang Wu.
- Airline Sr. VP said domestic travel in China is very safe, and the demand has increased very quickly.
- For the international network, because of the restriction of the government, airlines in China still have very low capacities for international travel.
- The airline needs to restructure its fleet, including return some old wide-body aircraft, cut some orders of new aircraft, and restructure the financial or liaising structure.
The two gentlemen talked about how China Southern Airlines and the broader airline industry as well have adjusted to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.
Read on – or sit back and listen to – this CAPA – Centre for Aviation event.
Adrian Scofield:
Principally, could start by talking about how your home market is fairing at the moment. For China, has domestic capacity and demand fully recovered, or have the subsequent COVID waves affected that?
Guoxiang Wu:
From my view, and especially from the start of this year, I think the domestic amount have fully recovered. As you know, thanks to the government’s great work for the prevent the pandemic, the control of the pandemic, I think domestic travel in China is very safe. Just from January to February, during the peak season, the normal peak season of the spring festival for China, because the government advocate people to stay home for their holidays, it’s a little decrease of this season. But after the spring festival, the demand has increased very quickly. I think from last month, from March, the domestic demand is fully recovered in time.
Adrian Scofield:
Right. Very good. And I think your capacity is now above pre COVID levels again, isn’t it?
