Examined: How China’s Publicly-Listed Airlines Performed During The Summer Travel Season

This past week, six of China’s publicly-listed airlines— Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, spring airlines, and Juneyao Airlines—released their August operating data. These carriers represent the major players in China’s aviation scene, including the three big state-owned airlines, the restructured Hainan Airlines, and two leading private airlines.

August is traditionally the busiest time for travel in China, and the newly released figures show that the summer peak helped boost several key performance metrics, with all six airlines reporting monthly records for 2024. Let’s dive into the numbers and see who came out on top!

Passenger traffic hits new highs

August saw a surge in passenger traffic across the board. The six airlines – Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines – collectively transported a whopping 57.873 million passengers. That’s a 5.7% increase from July, showing that the appetite for travel is still growing strongly.

Photo: China Southern Airlines

Air China emerged as the star performer, carrying 40% more passengers than in August 2019. Not to be outdone, Spring Airlines and Juneyao Airlines also flexed their muscles, exceeding their pre-pandemic levels by over 30%.

Here’s how the numbers stack up:

International routes make a comeback

While domestic travel has been booming for a while, the real story this summer is the resurgence of international flights. The six airlines carried a total of 6.102 million international passengers in August, up 5.6% from July. That puts them at 94.7% of their August 2019 levels – a clear sign that global travel is on the rebound.

Photo: david hili | Shutterstock

Air China, China Eastern, and Juneyao Airlines are leading the pack, with international passenger numbers actually surpassing their 2019 figures. Air China is up 6.1%, China Eastern 5.5%, and Juneyao Airlines an impressive 21.4% compared to pre-pandemic times.

New routes taking off

Airlines aren’t just sitting back and enjoying the ride – they’re actively expanding their networks. Here’s a quick rundown of some new routes:

• Air China: Resumed flights between Shanghai Pudong and Barcelona
• China Eastern: Launched new routes from Shanghai Pudong to Penang and Xi’an to Hanoi
• Hainan Airlines: Introduced a Shenzhen-Budapest route and brought back Haikou-Moscow flights
• Juneyao Airlines: Added new international routes, including Guizhou-Kuala Lumpur

Capacity and efficiency on the rise

When it comes to Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) and Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) – key measures of airline capacity and efficiency – the numbers are looking good. Juneyao Airlines is the standout, with both ASK and RPK more than 40% above 2019 levels. Air China and Spring Airlines aren’t far behind, both exceeding their 2019 figures by over 30%.

Here’s a snapshot of how these airlines are performing compared to 2019:

Load factors – a measure of how full flights are – are also hitting new highs. Spring Airlines is leading the pack with an impressive 93.7% load factor, while Juneyao Airlines isn’t far behind at 88.3%. The other four airlines are all comfortably above 80%, indicating that planes are flying fuller than ever.

The bigger picture

It’s not just these six airlines that are thriving. The entire Chinese aviation sector is on an upward trajectory. Here are some eye-popping stats for the summer season:

• Total passengers: 140 million (up 17.7% from 2019 and 12.3% from 2022)
• Average daily load factor: 83.9% (2.6 percentage points higher than last year)
• On-time performance: 77.3% (up 4.7 percentage points from last summer)

These numbers paint a picture of an industry that’s not just recovered, but is soaring to new heights.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

For airlines, the summer travel season is a crucial time to maximize revenue, and this year’s performance was particularly significant as it reflects a recovery from the pandemic’s impact on the aviation industry. The steady rebound in both domestic and international travel shows that Chinese airlines are moving in the right direction. The introduction of new international routes, coupled with the high demand for flights, is helping the industry edge closer to full recovery.

As travel restrictions continue to ease and international tourism rebounds, China’s airlines are well-positioned to take advantage of the growing demand for air travel. With new routes opening and passengers returning in higher numbers, the future looks bright for China’s aviation industry as it continues to rebuild its network and capture the opportunities that lie ahead.

This summer season has provided valuable insight into the resilience of China’s airlines and the potential for further growth. The combination of record-high load factors, growing international passenger numbers, and improved capacity utilization suggests that these carriers are on a solid path toward recovery and expansion, both domestically and abroad.

In conclusion, this summer’s performance for China’s publicly-listed airlines highlights how the industry is bouncing back, driven by a surge in demand, new route launches, and the ongoing recovery of international travel. With strong fundamentals and a strategic focus on expansion, these airlines are well-positioned to thrive in the post-pandemic world.