China Southern Airlines accepts the 2nd A380 to Accelerate Strategic Transformation

It is expected that the second A380 will be delivered to China Southern Airlines on December 17, arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport on December 18, and be put into commercial operation on December 19. The two A380 airplanes will jointly operate round-trip flights of Beijing－Guangzhou and Beijing－Shanghai. Once prerequisites are satisfied, China Southern Airlines will allow its A380 airplanes to fly international routes covering Europe, USA and Australia.

With a total of five A380 airplanes ordered, China Southern Airlines is the only airlines purchasing and operating A380 in China, and the 7th airlines operating A380 in the world following Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Qantas, Air France, Lufthansa and Korean Air.

The first A380 purchased by Chinese airlines was delivered on October 15, 2011, and was put into operation on October 17 for round-trip flights of Beijing - Guangzhou. After nearly two months of operation, the ticket sales of A380 flights are better than it is expected by China Southern Airlines, demonstrating strong brand influence and good market effect.

With good economic benefit and effective social response, China Southern Airlines has been accumulating precious experience in the operation of jumbo airplanes. China Southern Airlines has mobilized its resources specialized in flight, maintenance, command, passenger cabins, safeguard and ground service to learn from the operation of the first A380, improve its skills, and enhance service and maintenance procedures. Consequently, China Southern Airlines has prepared resources in talents and technology as well as operational experience, improving the safety, operation, service, marketing and management with regard to A380.

As the biggest and most advanced civil airplane in operation in the world, the second A380 to be delivered to China Southern Airlines has a typical layout of three passenger cabins and a total of 506 seats. In the front part of the main deck, there are 8 luxurious first-class seats which enable passengers to lie down and enjoy message in a private space. In the front and middle part of the upper deck, there are 70 first-class seats which are arranged in zigzag sequence and enable passengers to lie down. In the back part of the main deck and the upper deck, there are 428 economic class seats.

In order to provide quality service for passengers taking A380, China Southern Airlines has selected an elite service team to provide professional services based on the five-star service criteria of Skytrax, including boarding service, flight inquiry service, special passengers assistance and so on. Supported by the airports, China Southern Airlines provides A380 passengers with special check-in counters, special boarding guidance, special security check passes, special lounges, special boarding gates, special baggage turntables and quality transit service, to ensure efficient and comfortable flight experience for A380 passengers.

As number one airlines in Asia and the third in the world in terms of passenger volume, China Southern Airlines is speeding up strategic transformation and actively exploring international markets, to build up a world-class airlines with large-scale networks. In 2011, China Southern Airlines launched many international routes, i.e., Guangzhou－Brisbane, Guangzhou－Vancouver, Guangzhou－Amsterdam, Beijing－Urumqi－Tbilisi, Beijing－Guangzhou－Perth, Beijing－Urumqi－Istanbul; and increased flights on many international routes, i.e., Guangzhou－Paris, Guangzhou－Melbourne, Guangzhou－Oakland, with increasing efforts in the international market.

China Southern Airlines adopts A380 as a strategic airplane type to improve corporate reputation and brand influence in the international market. As a booster in the process of internationalization of China Southern Airlines, A380 plays a key role in building up a world-class airlines with large-scale networks.