Media Release | 12 December 2010
Auckland Airport welcomes China Southern Airlines to New Zealand

New air service to Auckland tipped to significantly boost Chinese tourism market

Auckland Airport and China Southern Airlines announced today at a media conference in Auckland that a new Guangzhou to Auckland service (via Melbourne) is scheduled to commence on or before 30 April 2011.

Auckland Airport’s chief executive, Simon Moutter, said, “Better connections with Asia, and in particular China, is critical for New Zealand trade and tourism. With these new services from Asia’s largest carrier China Southern Airlines to China’s second largest airport Guangzhou we open up a vast range of new opportunities for New Zealand.”

The new Guangzhou to Auckland route will initially be served by A330-300 aircraft (284 seat four-class) running three times per week. This equates to over 88,000 additional seats on offer each year connecting Auckland to mainland China.

China Southern Airline’s chief executive officer Mr Tan Wangeng said, “China Southern Airlines is very pleased to be able to make this announcement of new services between New Zealand and China. We believe New Zealand is an aviation market with huge potential and that the connections between Auckland Airport,

Australia and Queenstown created in this partnership will better serve the growing travel demand between our two countries.”

Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown, said, “As sister cities, Auckland and Guangzhou already have a very special relationship, and today’s announcement reinforces that. I am personally delighted at the opportunities that improved connections between Auckland and China will represent to our visitor economy. As Auckland continues to develop into a truly global city, the importance of forging stronger links with the economic powerhouse of China cannot be underestimated.”

China’s largest airline, China Southern Airlines is the newest member of SkyTeam and is present in major metropolitan markets around the world. It operates the largest and most technologically advanced airline fleet and the most extensive domestic air network in The People’s Republic of China.

Mr Moutter said, “While the potential for growing inbound and outbound tourism between China and New Zealand is significant, it already represents a substantial visitor market, with over 10,000 international arrivals a month from China. We estimate these services will inject over $50 million into the local visitor economy and with the long-term growth trend we think that the sky is the limit for development into Auckland. As the market continues to grow, the prospects for increased frequency and direct services are very good.”

Mr Tan said, “Starting these services to New Zealand’s Super City and tourism gateway, Auckland, is an important strategic step in the continued development of China Southern Airlines role in the region and we look forward to growing this high-potential route together with our industry partners.”

Ends

About China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. – the newest member of SkyTeam - is a main air transportation business of China Southern Air Holding Company and is the largest carrier in Asia by passenger numbers.

With flight operations based at Guangzhou’s brand-new, award-winning Baiyun International Airport, China Southern Airlines’ company logo can be seen around the globe with the brilliant red kapok delicately adoring a blue vertical tail fin.

China Southern Airlines has 13 branches located throughout China, including: Beijing, Dalian, Guangxi, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Northern, Shenzhen, Xinjiang and Zhuhai.

As China’s largest airline, China Southern Airlines has 54 International offices located in major metropolitan markets around the world, including: Amsterdam, Dubai, Lagos, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, Seoul, Sharjah, Sydney, Tokyo, New York, London, Vancouver, Dubai, and Brisbane.

China Southern Airlines operates the largest and most technologically advanced airline fleet as well as the most extensive domestic air network in The People’s Republic of China.

Currently, China Southern Airlines operated 342 modern Boeing 777, 747, 757, 737 and Airbus A330, 321, 320, 319 and 300 jet aircraft serving destinations to 841 cities in 162 countries, forming an extensive network, with Guangzhou and Beijing as its hubs, covering all of China and radiating throughout Asia with convenient connections to all main cities in the world via close cooperation with all the SkyTeam member airlines.
In 2007, China Southern Airlines carried nearly 57 Million passengers, has been ranked as the largest airline in China for 29 consecutive years and is the only carrier in mainland China entering into the world’s Top 10 passenger airlines - based on annual passenger traffic volume.

As of 16 July 2008, China Southern Airlines had achieved more than 5 Million safe flight hours and carried 2.5 hundred Million passengers safely and was honored the Five-Star Flight Safety Award by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) – the current most prestigious award for safe flight operations in the Chinese aviation industry, becoming the only Chinese carrier maintaining the longest safety record and occupying a leading position in the international aviation industry.

About Guangzhou

Guangzhou (Canton) is the capital of the Guangdong province with a population of close to 12 million people, and is the 3rd largest populated city in China.

Guangzhou is the main manufacturing hub of the Pearl River Delta, one of mainland China's leading commercial and manufacturing regions. In 2009, the GDP for Guangzhou reached US $133.5 billion, more than the New Zealand economy which was around $125.2 billion during the same year.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Huadu District opened on August 5, 2004 and is already the second largest airport in China with 37 million passenger movements in 2009 (compared to 13 million for Auckland).

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