Airbus Delivered Five A380 to China Southern Airlines

Airbus has delivered the first of five A380s to China Southern Airlines (CZ), the first A380 operator in China.

Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent-900 engines, the aircraft will be initially operated on domestic routes between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Later on, the airline will deploy the A380 on international routes.

“We are proud to become the first A380 operator in China,” said CZ chairman Si Xianmin. “The introduction of the A380 in our fleet is a very important step for the development of China Southern. The economics offered by the A380 will undoubtedly improve our competitiveness on international routes and is the perfect asset to make China Southern Airlines achieve its goal of becoming a leading global carrier,” he said.

Boeing Talks with Chinese Airlines to Revitalize Sales Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Boeing Co. is engaged in “very advanced discussions” with Chinese airlines to revitalize sales there of its 787 Dreamliner, according to a senior sales executive, as the U.S. plane maker competes with rival Airbus for a greater share of the growing market.

Chicago-based Boeing currently has orders for 60 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets from China Southern Airlines Co. and other Chinese customers. Those orders came in 2005, and Boeing hasn’t received any additional orders since.

In an interview on the sidelines of Aviation Expo, an air exhibition that kicked off in Beijing on Wednesday, Boeing’s top sales executive for China said that may change.

“On the 787, we are in constant discussions with airlines in China. Demand is very high,” said Ihssane Mounir, the sales executive. “We do have some very advanced discussions that could lead to more orders soon.”

Boeing’s future in part hinges on the high-profile 787 jetliner, which the company says will be more fuel-efficient and cheaper to maintain than other long-haul jets. But the plane’s rollout has been beset by delays. Boeing is scheduled to deliver the first 787 Dreamliner to Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. later this month. That would put it more than three years behind schedule.

Boeing officials say the company needs to win more orders in China, one of the fastest-growing commercial aircraft markets, where competition from Airbus is becoming stiffer. Airbus’s China president, Laurence Barron, said in a separate interview Wednesday that it expects to account for a 50% share of China’s commercial-jet market by 2013. Also speaking on the sidelines of Aviation Expo, Mr. Barron said he expects Airbus’s market share in China to be 47% by the end of this year. Airbus is a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co.

Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing’s commercial-aircraft division, said earlier this month that the company aims at least to maintain its slightly higher than 50% share of China’s market of commercial airliners in service. But he acknowledged that Boeing’s share of new orders from China in recent years has been declining, in part because of competition from Airbus.

Earlier this month, Boeing raised its 20-year forecast for China’s spending on commercial aircraft by 25%, citing planned international expansion by airlines in what the company expects will become the world’s second-biggest aircraft market after the U.S. In that forecast, Boeing said it expects Chinese carriers and others to spend $600 billion for 5,000 new commercial airplanes from Boeing, Airbus and other manufacturers. Boeing last year estimated that China would spend $480 billion on 4,330 planes over the next 20 years.

China Southern Airlines is Set to Receive the Airbus A380 Superjumbo

Delivery of the China Southern Airlines A380 had been due to arrive just before the 2008 Beijing Olympics but was deferred- now it looks like the first of its five A380s will be delivered next year.

Airbus mounted the vertical tail on China Airlines’ first A380 superjumbo on Tuesday at the A380 assembly line in Toulouse. It takes about eight hours to install the tail, which is almost equivalent to the size of an A320 wing and when joined to the fuselage its tip stands 24 metres from the ground.

China Southern is the only mainland carrier to order the A380, with rival Air China insisting it has no plans to acquire the aircraft because it prefers the rival Boeing B747. It expects to receive its first A380 plane in 2011.

Asia-Pacific carriers who have ordered the A380 superjumbo include Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Korean Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines, and THAI Airways.

Business class travellers will be intereted to know that the carrier has announced a new premium economy class on flights to Australia. It has started rolling out Premium Economy Class service on its service between Guangzhou and Sydney using the all-new Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

China Southern Premium Economy travellers enjoy superior seating and cabin service from standard economy with special advance round trip fares.

From October 31st the carrier will offer the Premium Economy service on services from Guangzhou to Brisbane and Melbourne. The re-designed A3380-300 cabin offers 47 Premium Economy seats separated by curtains, and portable doors to guarantee travellers a discreet private space.

International Premium Economy Class on China Southern Airlines offers a premium travel experience and includes 40% additional space. The seat pitch has been extended from Economy pitch of 32 to 37 inches for expanded legroom. Special personal touches include newspapers, double-thick wool blanket and pillows; fresh seasonal fruits, noise-reduction headphones, private washing kit and savoury red and white Australian wines. At the airport there is an exclusive Premium Economy check-in counter where travellers can enjoy the special privilege of a private Premium Economy check-in counter and an extra luggage allowance of 15kg. They also benefit from priority baggage delivery upon arrival, boarding at passengers’ convenience and priority class upgrade (if Premium Economy cabin is overbooked). Sky Pearl Club members travelling in Premium Economy Class will earn 110% FFP mileage and through to December 30th, will receive an additional 3,000 bonus FFP miles.

China Southern has also 13 Boeing B787s on order.

China Southern Airlines Takes Delivery of Fifth Boeing 777-200F

China Southern Airlines, a member of SkyTeam and one of the largest airlines in the People’s Republic of China, has taken delivery of its fifth Boeing 777-200F freighter – the second in two months.

With the addition of these new aircraft, China Southern’s freighter fleet now stands at seven, including two Boeing 747-400F and five Boeing 777-200F dedicated freighters.

With this expanded freight capacity, China Southern Cargo plans to soon add another U.S. route between Shanghai (Pudong International Airport) and Los Angeles.

With this anticipated expansion, China Southern Cargo will offer customers three European destinations: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Vienna as well as two US destinations, Chicago and Los Angeles.

China Southern 2008 Traffic Growth Slows Sharply

China Southern Airlines’ passenger volume growth in 2008 slowed to single digits for the first time in five years as a slowing economy curbed demand.
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