Airlines in South China Poised to Grow Despite Global

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GUANGZHOU 000614 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, INR/EAP, EEB/TRA/OTP AND EEB/TRA/AN DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION PASS TO SMCDERMOTT, JSZABAT, KGLATZ FAA PASS TO RCICERO BEIJING, TOKYO AND SINGAPORE FOR FAA REP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON PREL BEXP CH SUBJECT: Airlines in South China Poised to Grow Despite Global Economic Slump (U) This document is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. Not for release outside U.S. government channels. Not for internet publication. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The global economic downturn has had minimal impact on major airlines in south China despite international airlines industry losses of US$11 billion for 2009. Though some of China's airlines have diversified their business portfolio and others have made operational adjustments, the overall trend is positive. Executives of three leading airlines in the region acknowledge that increased attention on China's domestic air travel market has elevated the level of competition both locally and nationally, but they feel that their companies are well positioned for further growth and expansion. Looking ahead, they plan to rely on core strengths, innovation, and auxiliary services to grow their businesses. During meetings with China airline executives, the Consul General encouraged them to continue to purchase U.S. aircrafts as well as aviation products and services. END SUMMARY. Economic Slump Has Minimal Impact on South China Airlines -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines, the largest in China in terms of fleet size and passengers carried, was relatively unaffected by the global economic downturn, said its president, Tan Wangeng, in a meeting with the Consul General. Because the international market is only 20% of China Southern's business, the airline fared well through the slowdown, making only minor adjustments to its operations. One measure taken by China Southern was the postponement of plans to increase some of its international passenger and cargo flights. For example, Tan explained that China Southern originally planned to step up service between Guangzhou and Los Angeles to a daily basis, but opted to maintain flight frequency at four per week. Tan also revealed that his company was prepared to consider lay-offs to cut operational costs, but so far, there were no plans to cut jobs. ¶3. (SBU) For Hainan Airlines, which is part of the HNA Group and headquartered in Haikou, Hainan Province, the economic downturn compelled the company to make minor adjustments to its business model. Hainan Airlines chairman Chen Feng explained to the Consul General that he saw the downturn as an opportunity to enter or expand into other markets. Already operating in eight different sectors including aviation, tourism, logistics, real estate, retail, financial services, and catering, the airline is exploring new opportunities in hotel management in the United States, said Chen. He anticipates that a strengthened U.S.-China relationship will bring additional opportunities to the company. (Note: HNA Group also recently purchased the Westin Hotel in Guangzhou only days prior to announcing plans to acquire Jumeirah Han Tang Xintiandi and Conrad Shanghai, two luxury hotels currently under construction in Shanghai's Xintiandi district. End note.) Increased Domestic Competition and Other Challenges -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Competition is increasing in China's aviation industry, a trend that has intensified with the economic downturn, according to Liu Hang, a senior executive at Shenzhen Airlines. Because of China's forecasted economic growth of eight percent and strong domestic passenger air travel figures for 2009 (20% year-on-year increase in the first half of 2009, per Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)),many airlines have fixed their sights on taking a larger piece of the domestic market. Liu also explained that rapid development of the Chinese economy and increased customer needs, like on-time service and improved in-flight service, have placed more demands on the aviation industry. In addition, for a relatively small airline like Shenzhen Airlines, securing routes, which are highly controlled, is very difficult. Liu complained that the three big Chinese airlines -- GUANGZHOU 00000614 002 OF 003 China Southern, Air China, and China Eastern -- already occupied the best routes and time slots, which he called unfair to the small and medium-sized airlines. ¶5. (SBU) Chen of Hainan Airlines had a similar assessment of China's airlines industry, but also voiced concern about the aircraft market. As one of the first purchasers of the Boeing 787, Hainan Airlines regrets that production of the new model has been delayed, said Chen. He said that the airline viewed the delay as a "serious situation" and hoped that Boeing can resolve the issue and deliver the order soon. Chen also expressed frustration that there were only two major aircraft producers worldwide. Positioned to Grow and Expand -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Seeing an upswing in domestic passenger figures and signs of a global economic recovery, airlines based in south China are looking ahead with optimism. China Southern has plans to increase the international portion of its business to 30% and further develop as a global airline. As part of this plan, the airline will begin to offer daily flights to Los Angeles, Sydney, and Melbourne. If the economy continues to show signs of recovery, said Tan, China Southern will increase flights to Australia to three flights per day. In addition, the airline hopes to open more Beijing-U.S. flights, including a Beijing-New York route. The latter proposal has been submitted to the CAAC and is currently under review. In terms of fleet expansion, China Southern aims to increase its fleet by 10% year-on-year, adding a net 30 aircrafts each year to the current stock of 353 in the short term. China Southern's fleet is relatively young and no more than 10 aircrafts are replaced each year, said Tan. He also added that the airline was constantly upgrading its fleet. For example, older Boeing 777's will be replaced with Boeing 787's. ¶7. (SBU) Hainan Airlines also has an ambitious expansion plan. According to Chen, two of the company's main objectives are to become a world-class brand and rank among the top 500 enterprises worldwide within five years. To help achieve this goal, Hainan Airlines will increase its current fleet of 215 aircrafts by 300 over the next five years, adding 60 aircrafts each year. ¶8. (SBU) In 2006, Shenzhen Airlines launched the 369 Development Strategy, setting a goal to achieve a certain degree of brand recognition and value every three years. In addition, it laid out a plan to increase the total number of its aircrafts in three stages: 70 by 2008, 100 by 2011, and 160 by 2014. Senior officials at Shenzhen Airlines said that the company has achieved the second stage in advance, currently owning 150 aircrafts (including planes of its subsidiary, Jade Cargo),and is already a well-recognized brand within China. The company also recently received approval to open a branch office in Beijing. The airline's next step, said Liu, is to tap the international market. Its current international service reaches only the periphery of China, but Shenzhen Airlines is also eyeing opportunities to service the U.S. and Europe. However, Liu stated that as much as the company would like to go beyond China's periphery, it recognized the difficulties, especially during tough economic times. Staying on the Cutting Edge -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Shenzhen Airlines, being the smallest of the three leading airlines based in south China, has to exercise more creativity and innovative thinking to secure its market position, said Liu. With the best resources and routes going to major Chinese airlines, Shenzhen Airlines has been cultivating relationships with local governments of less developed areas to tap new markets and explore new routes. Liu explained that his company also sees this strategy as a way of developing local economies and helping China's economic GUANGZHOU 00000614 003 OF 003 development. ¶10. (SBU) Although Liu acknowledged that Shenzhen Airlines' hardware cannot compete with that of the big three airlines in China, he said that Shenzhen Airlines' uniqueness in service and innovation made it a rising competitor in the industry. Liu pointed to the airline's youthful and robust employees, who average 25-26 in age; operational efficiency; young fleet; and service innovations such as one-hour ticket delivery, door-to-door passenger service, and onboard sign-language translation as the company's advantages. GOLDBECK