China Southern Set for Major International Route Expansion

DALLAS – State-owned carrier China Southern Airlines (CZ) expects to launch several new international routes in the months ahead. The new routes include Amsterdam (AMS), London (LON), Doha (DOH), Riyadh (RUH), and Tehran (THR).

According to a Reuters report, the airline said at an event in Beijing (BJS) that the routes would be launched in the coming months, before October 2026.

International travel out of China has been slow to recover due to the delayed easing of pandemic-related restrictions and slower economic growth. International services have struggled to match the gains seen in the country’s domestic travel sector as consumers remain price-sensitive in China’s economy.

Economic Recovery for China Southern

China Southern is one of China's three state-run airlines. Last week, an annual loss of 4.1 billion yuan was reported. The airline attributes this to weak consumer spending, rising jet fuel costs, supply chain problems, and the depreciation of the local currency. However, there is hope that demand for international travel out of China will recover this year.

Chen Ling, a deputy manager in the airline's North China marketing department, told the media that CZ’s international route network has recovered to 80% of 2019 levels, and the airline hopes that new routes will help it recover 85% by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, CZ has launched scheduled flights between BJS and Macau (MFM). It said it plans to launch other international routes shortly, indicating that it expects a rise in demand for international travel this year.

MFM, a special administrative region of China, is a popular tourist spot for Chinese travelers and one of the world's biggest gambling hotspots. Therefore, load factors on the new route should be promising.