China Southern Airlines is leveraging two major Chinese airport construction projects for passenger and network growth, including a planned subsidiary near Beijing.
China Southern and partner carriers already have moved into Terminal 2 of Guangzhou's Baiyun International Airport. The terminal opened in late April. That has enabled smoother connections in China Southern's major hub, as passengers making domestic connections transfer on the same floor and passengers connecting from international to domestic flights can visit a transfer counter rather than picking up and rechecking baggage, according to China Southern customer loyalty program director Edward Wang. That service covers all 53 international routes in the hub, he said.
Next year, Beijing will open a new international airport, which China Southern plans to establish as a dual hub alongside Guangzhou. As in the new Guangzhou terminal, the carrier will "promote international and domestic linkages and enhance operational quality and efficiency." It also "is carrying out early research and preparing" for operations in the new hub, Wang said.
The new airport coincides with the development of the Xiong'an New Area, a zone developing about 60 miles southwest of Beijing that eventually will house some of Beijing's industries and will be a short train connection from the new airport. Along with that, China Southern is creating a new subsidiary, Xiong'an Airlines, to help it establish that second hub, Wang said.
When the new airport becomes operational, about 40 percent of its passengers will be flying China Southern, and by 2025, the carrier expects to have 250 aircraft at the airport, according to China Daily.
The carrier already is one of the world's largest, as passenger volume rose 10.2 percent last year to 126 million. New routes for this year include both Wuhan and Sanya to London; Urumqi to Lahore, Pakistan; and Guangzhou to both Lahore and Rome, said China Southern director Li Xiang.