Latest news with #AirChina
Scoop
11 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
Air New Zealand, Air China, & Tourism NZ Announce Strategic Investment To Boost Chinese Travel Demand To Aotearoa
In a step to further support the revitalisation of Chinese tourism to New Zealand, Air New Zealand, Air China, and Tourism New Zealand have today announced a partnership aimed at strengthening travel from China to New Zealand. The tripartite partnership will see nearly half a million NZD invested from the three organisations going toward stimulating inbound tourism from China, in addition to Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand's existing investments in the market. Over the next 12 months, Air New Zealand will invest more than $700,000 in marketing through strategic partnerships – an addition to the airline's significant and ongoing marketing commitment in China. The new funding will be used to support a marketing campaign to drive greater awareness of New Zealand as a preferred destination for Chinese travellers. It is also an opportunity to highlight the longstanding alliance between Air New Zealand and Air China launched in 2015, which has provided greater connectivity, codeshare convenience, and a seamless customer experience for travellers between China and New Zealand. China is New Zealand's third largest source of international visitors, comprising around 8% of total visitor arrivals. In the year to March 2025, 248,000 Chinese travellers visited New Zealand, up 18 per cent on the prior year. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said the airline's service between Shanghai and Auckland are going from strength to strength. "China is an incredibly important market for us, and we're proud of the role our Shanghai service has played in connecting people, cargo, and cultures over the past decade. This joint investment is an opportunity to further stimulate travel demand to encourage growth in inbound tourism from China to New Zealand. 'We're looking forward to having our brand-new cabins on our 787 aircraft flying to Shanghai on occasion, offering Chinese customers the opportunity to be among the first to experience our enhanced onboard experience. From October, we'll see a 33% increase in premium seats on the Shanghai–Auckland route, giving customers even more opportunity to travel with additional space and comfort to New Zealand." Mr. Ma Chongxian, the Chairman of CNAH, expressed confidence in the recovery of China-New Zealand market and the alliance partnership between Air China and Air New Zealand. 'New Zealand market has always been the key focus in our Asia-Pacific network. We have deeply engaged in Beijing-Auckland service since 2015. As our strategic alliance with Air New Zealand reinforces the mutual trust and support, our network, products and services have been optimized along the way. The partnership has played a positive role in jointly promoting economic and trade growth and fostering cross-cultural communication between China and New Zealand. 'Embracing the second decade of China-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the tenth anniversary of the alliance partnership between Air China and Air New Zealand, we would like to join Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand in further facilitating market recovery and expanding collaborations to deepen practical cooperation and improve customer experience.' Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive René de Monchy said there is an audience of around 60 million people in China 'actively considering' a holiday to New Zealand. 'We're looking forward to working with Air New Zealand and Air China to get them booking trips to come and enjoy destination New Zealand sooner rather than later.' He said Chinese visitors were drawn to New Zealand's culture, friendliness, and natural scenery including mountains and lakes, hiking and national parks. "China's travel behaviour evolves rapidly. For example, we are seeing growth in smaller visitor groups that are staying for longer and getting out to enjoy more experiences and visit more regions.' New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said: 'This partnership between Air New Zealand, Air China, and Tourism New Zealand is another step toward turbocharging New Zealand's tourism recovery and growth. As we work to rebuild our visitor economy, stimulating demand from key markets like China, which was our largest inbound tourism market pre-Covid, is essential to creating jobs, supporting businesses, and strengthening communities across the country. This strategic investment will not only boost awareness of Aotearoa as a unique and welcoming destination but also deepen the connections between our peoples and cultures. We are committed to backing initiatives that bring more visitors here, ensuring tourism continues to be a driver of prosperity for all New Zealanders.' This initiative reaffirms the strong commitment from both airlines and New Zealand's tourism sector to support economic recovery and reestablish vital people-to-people ties between the two nations.
Asia Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Asia Times
Chinese state-owned airlines join price war in national mission
Chinese state-owned airlines have joined an intensifying price war, although unwillingly, amid challenges including local passengers' weakening spending power and rising market competition. Air China, Southern Airlines and Eastern Airlines have been facing huge losses for five years since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020. Although China canceled all epidemic rules in early 2023, the three firms still recorded net losses in the past two years. They carried more passengers last year than in 2023, but had to lower air ticket prices due to rising competition from budget airlines and China State Railway Group, the country's high-speed train operator. The price war is intensifying this year. Many Chinese airlines now offer domestic round-trip tickets at about 200 to 300 yuan (US$28 to US$42), as it is a low season before the summer holidays. Round-trip tickets to remote cities are 80- 90% off, while those to key cities like Beijing are 40-50% off. Budget airlines such as Spring Airlines and Juneyao Air are growing fast in this price war. a unit of the People's Daily, reported in late May that Chinese airlines have started offering significant discounts to customers. For example, a ticket for a round trip between Chengdu and Kunming costs only 222 yuan, and between Chengdu and Haikou, it costs 237 yuan. Kunming and Haikou are famous for their natural attractions. A Chongqing-based writer said air tickets departing from Chengdu are about 70% off on average from the high season. He said a Beijing-Sanya round trip ticket is only 230 yuan, down from 2,000 yuan during the Spring Festival in late January. He said the competition intensifies as Chinese airlines keep opening new routes this year. Citing Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) data, Xinhua reported in March that 38 airlines will open 640 new domestic flight routes this year, connecting key cities such as Chongqing, Changsha and Tianjin with tourism cities in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. The CAAC also allowed 193 local and foreign airlines to add 22,946 new international passenger and cargo flights per week in 2025, or 33% more than in the same period last year. These new routes cover 78 foreign countries, 57 along the Belt and Road. 'Do you think the three state-owned airlines don't want to make a profit?' a Shandong-based columnist called Xiao Song says in an article. 'They have their difficulties.' 'Despite losing money, some routes had to be launched for political reasons, such as those to Xinjiang and Tibet, and those to African and South American countries,' he said. He added that budget airlines and state-owned airlines operate their businesses differently. For example: Spring Airlines targets low-cost tourists who travel to remote cities, while state-owned airlines mainly compete in key cities. Juneyao Airlines offers one-day trips for businesspeople at prices lower than those of the high-speed railway. Budget airlines mainly use Airbus A320, which can fly up to 12 hours per day, compared with state-owned airlines' 10 hours. State-owned airlines deploy domestically some of their long-range Boeing 787 planes, which burn more fuel than narrow-body aircraft. State-owned airlines operate less efficiently than private firms. He said these are reasons why budget airlines can make a profit and pay their pilots 15,000 yuan per 90 flight hours, while state-owned airlines lose money and can only offer their pilots 10,000 yuan. He said state-owned airlines now realize these problems and try to provide more low-cost packages. In 2024, the top seven Chinese airlines, including state-owned and private ones, recorded combined revenues of 587 billion yuan, up 13.6%. Spring Airlines was the most profitable, with a net profit of 2.27 billion yuan. In fact, Air China, Eastern Airlines, and Southern Airlines successfully narrowed their net or before-tax losses last year from 2023. The number of passengers carried was 155 million (+23.8%) for Air China, 141 million (+21.6%) for Eastern Airlines, and 165 million (+16%) for Southern Airlines. According to the CAAC, the total number of flight passengers grew 5.8% to 246.8 million in the first four months of 2025 compared with last year. Currently, the central government does not intend to stop the price war or reduce competition in the airline industry. 'The decline in air ticket prices is good news for the tourism market as it can effectively boost the number of tourists and create growth for related industries such as hotels, catering, transportation and retail,' a Yunnan-based writer says in an article. She thinks the trend will also help diversify the tourism market, as new and small tourism sites can emerge. However, Hsieh Chin-ho, a Taiwanese commentator, said the falling prices of air tickets and hotels will worsen China's deflationary problem, which was caused by the burst of the country's property bubbles several years ago. Hsieh said China's consumer price index (CPI) decreased by 0.1% year-on-year in May, and its producer price index (PPI) dropped by 3.3% year-on-year, showing weak domestic consumption. He said a vicious cycle created by weakening consumption and falling property prices could further drag down the Chinese economy – resulting in a lost decade of slow or negative GDP growth, such as was experienced by Japan from the 1990s to the 2010s. Read: China's fast-growing high-speed railway network faces reality
Business Insider
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Air China (AIRC) Gets a Hold from DBS
DBS analyst Jason Sum maintained a Hold rating on Air China (AIRC – Research Report) today and set a price target of HK$5.40. The company's shares closed last Wednesday at p91.25. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Sum covers the Industrials sector, focusing on stocks such as COSCO SHIPPING Holdings Co, SIA Engineering Co, and ST Engineering. According to TipRanks, Sum has an average return of 12.8% and a 67.27% success rate on recommended stocks. Air China has an analyst consensus of Hold, with a price target consensus of p46.29. The company has a one-year high of p91.25 and a one-year low of p91.25. Currently, Air China has an average volume of 4,000.
Metro
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
We travelled 14,000km on Race Across the World — this region is a must-visit
Race Across The World contestants, mum and son, Caroline and Tom, have zoomed from The Great Wall of China to the most Southern point of India, all with the hope of winning £20,000. The unlikely duo have been dashing across borders, sleeping on buses and trains, and pleading with whoever can help them to get to the finish line. Viewers will find out tonight, during the season finale of Race Across The World on BBC One, how the pair did on their adventure. Perhaps the bigger prize though, is that they got to tread an obscure path so few tourists walk. The duo will have transversed 14,000km, travelling through China, Nepal and India. But speaking to Metro, they reveal the one place they're desperate to return to — and where they're happy to never see again. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. A highlight for Caroline and Tom was when they stumbled across Funing County, in the Yunnan province in China. The diverse 2,066 sq mile area sits in the south of China, about 43 miles from the border of Vietnam. Unlike the mega cities of Shanghai and Beijing, Funing County is nestled in the mountains, with small traditional villages connected by winding roads and rivers. While Caroline and Tom's time there came with a sprinkle of drama when Tom lost their money belt, they both agreed without hesitation that Funing County is the one place people should definitely visit. 'After seeing people rushing to work in the cities, it felt like people were just enjoying their lives a lot more,' says Tom. 'We could have spent hours just people watching. We saw butchers on the back of a tuk-tuk, which I never thought that would be a thing, but that was really cool. 'We even saw five people on one moped, a family of five, which was just crazy. It was one of those places you had to sit back and just watch.' A trip to Funing County is not for the faint-hearted, and perhaps better-suited to well-seasoned travellers, as it's very much off the beaten track. First, UK travellers will need to head to Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan Province, known as 'the City of Eternal Spring' due to its year-round mild climate. There are no direct flights, so you'll most likely make a stop elsewhere in China before continuing onward to your destination. There are currently flights available with Air China from London Gatwick to Kunming, with a 2 hour 20 minute connection in Beijing. In total, the journey takes 16 hours. From Kunming, you can take local trains which will get you to Funing County in around two hours. Like Caroline and Tom though, most travellers will make Funing County and the Yunnan Province part of a wider trip across China or southeast Asia. The province of Yunnan is home to a staggering 26 ethnic minority groups. There are several villages to visit, where travellers can learn about traditional culture and daily life. In Funing County, Guichao Town is built on the ruins of the Ming and Qing Dynasty town of Fuzhou and retains many historical sites. Visit during the first two months of lunar year, when it plays host to the 'Ganlongduan' festival, featuring performances of Zhuang Opera, Han folk songs, and Yao bronze-drum music. Perhaps the most popular though is Lijiang Old Town, which sits further north in Yunnan. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and an important 12th century trading hub. It boasts restaurants, shops and even nightclubs (and a unique McDonald's). It also sits in the shadow of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a 5596m mountain which can be reached by cable car. There are also impressive natural sights in Yunnan. In Funing County, there's the Puyang Waterfall, which has a drop of 96 metres and the Qinghuadong Scenic Area, a system of caves with boat tours available for tourists. Back in Kunming, there's the Stone Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site about 90 minutes outside of the city. Wonder through the massive limestone rock formations, which were thought to have begun forming about 270 million years ago. In the main city, the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Archways were originally built during the Ming Dynasty. Both are near to various shops and restaurants for those keen to pick up souvenirs and try the local cuisine. Go at night for the best photo opportunities. And for some traditional Chinese street food, head to Nanqiang Street for its vibrant night market. Travellers say that 'the later it gets, the livelier it becomes' and that 'once you start eating, you won't want to leave.' In the west of Yunnan is the city of Dali, with its popular Old Town, which Lonely Planet call 'the original backpacker hang-out in Yunnan' and where you can find some of the best noodles in the region. It's also a good spot for the more adventurous type, as you can hike around the Cangshan mountains. For something a little more low key, Lake Erhai with its fishing villages and ancient temples is also worth visiting. Tom and Caroline have become pros when it comes to resourceful travelling. Caroline's top tip? 'Speak to the young,' she says. 'The younger people seem to want to talk.' 'The pure kindness of strangers surprised us both,' adds Thomas. 'Locals don't help… purely because they can, and it just gives you such a lovely understanding for the country as well. I I think the people make a country when you travel.' Caroline insists every traveler needs to pack two essential items. 'Packing cubes are fantastic in a rucksack. Everything just spills out of the rucksack all the time but they were fantastic. And sandals, because depending where you're going, it's not always the cleanest place, and the showers can be slippy.' 'We are planning on backpacking through Kazakhstan,' says Tom. 'It's going to sound stupid, but it's mainly because of Borat. 'It's not even filmed there but it's always tickled my pickle, and a couple of my mates have spoken about wanting to go there before, so I did a little bit of research and apparently it's brilliant.' They're are also keen to head back to Nepal, after spending such a short time there during their race. Tom says: 'It was just the most beautiful, peaceful and kind country. There's so much to see and do and learn and we obviously couldn't do it, but, but it just promised so much.' He's also keen to see a different side to China. 'I would love to go back and do some of the more rural options,' he says. 'I would love to go see a bit more of the Himalayas, more of the equivalent of village life here in China, the small towns and the history.' More Trending Of course, there are also destinations they're not hurrying to book flights back to. Caroline admits she had high hopes for the capital city Beijing, only to be underwhelmed. 'I think we had the idea of it, or I certainly had the idea that it was the capital, and it must be really nice and easy to get around, but we just ended up getting stuck,' says Caroline. 'I think that was more because of our experience, rather than Beijing itself but just from what we saw in Beijing, I'm not in a rush to go back there.' Race Across The World airs Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One and is available to watch on iPlayer. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: 'He's not coming back': Casualty confirms death tragedies as BBC drops new trailer MORE: Race Across The World star Sam Gardiner died from 'devastating brain injury' after car crash MORE: Easyjet launches 11 new flights from major UK airport to Greece, Spain, Portugal and more
Trade Arabia
04-06-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Emirates, Air China to explore enhanced cooperation
Emirates and Air China have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic framework for expanding their existing reciprocal interline cooperation. The signing took place on the sidelines of the 81st Annual General Meeting (IATA AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) in New Delhi, said a Wam news agency report. The MoU was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer and Yan Fei, Air China's Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, accompanied by senior executives from both sides. Adnan Kazim said: 'Our partnership with Air China commenced 26 years ago, and approximately 18,000 Emirates customers have benefited from the expanded connectivity offered through our interline agreement. "Building on this success, we've recently announced the launch of two new Chinese cities—Shenzhen and Hangzhou—which will strengthen our East Asia operations." Yan Fei said, 'Air China highly values the cooperation with Emirates. The signing of this memorandum is an important milestone for the deepening of the cooperation between the two sides." Under the MoU, Emirates and Air China will explore a reciprocal codeshare on select routes across each other's networks. This would allow each airline to place its code on the other's flights on China-UAE trunk routes as well as beyond Beijing and Dubai to an expanded list of points. Emirates and Air China will also develop a framework for cooperation across cargo operations and respective frequent flyer loyalty programme, enhancing their value proposition for both travellers and businesses. To further ensure seamless connectivity for customers, the two carriers will explore coordinating flight schedules or adjusting minimum connecting times. Once activated, customers of both airlines will benefit from a seamless booking process, single ticket itineraries and wider lounge access to new and exciting destinations. Beyond commercial cooperation, both carriers plan to exchange best practices in areas such as revenue management, data analytics, digitalisation, brand management and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), among others, through joint knowledge sharing and familiarisation visits. From July 30, Emirates will operate 49 weekly flights to the Chinese mainland, including double daily services to Beijing and Shanghai as well as daily flights to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou.
