China Southern Airlines and Etihad Airways Ink a New MOU to Explore Broader Cooperation
April 3, 2023 - China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in Asia and Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding online on March 30, 2023, in which both sides pledge to explore opportunities for deepened and broader cooperation to provide convenient and exceptional travel experience to passengers.
Based on China Southern's hub operations at Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), the MOU allows both sides to further consolidate code-share cooperation and explore the feasibility of expanding their respective route network.
This extensive MOU will also provide procurement opportunities in ground services, cargo handling, bonded warehousing, air catering as well as maintenance and overhaul in Guangzhou, Beijing and Abu Dhabi, making it possible for both sides to expand cooperation in third-party business.
Mr. Zhang Dongsheng, Deputy Director General of Commercial Steering Committee and Senior Vice President of Marketing Division, China Southern Airlines, said, "The signing of the MOU opens up a new chapter of win-win cooperation between our two sides, which will further reinforce our unique advantages at the PKX hub, expand our respective global route network and bring more convenience to passengers. Our two airlines have maintained a good partnership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to deepen our mutual cooperation and explore more possibilities in the future. We look forward to working closing with Etihad Airways to create a new model of cooperation, connecting business partnerships with procurement opportunities in an innovative and unconventional manner and proactively engaging in dialogue for a brighter future."
Mr. Arik De, Chief Revenue Officer of Etihad Airways added, "The signing of the MOU provides a strong platform for both sides to continue deepening mutual cooperation. Etihad looks forward to working with China Southern to explore more extensive and practical ways of cooperation to deliver greater value through our unique advantages at PKX. The close cooperation between our two sides sends a very strong signal to the industry and will bring new hope for recovery in the global aviation industry and travel market."
About China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines is headquartered in Guangzhou, with the largest aircraft fleet, the most developed route network and the biggest annual passenger volume in China.
China Southern's annual passenger traffic reached up to 152 million, topping all Chinese airlines for 43 consecutive years. In recent years, China Southern has been dedicated to developing its Guangzhou-Beijing “dual hubs”. In Guangzhou, it has made steady progress in the development of the Canton Route and in Beijing, it takes up more than 40% of slot resources as the largest hub carrier at PKX.
China Southern strives to build a world-class service brand featuring "Affinity and Refinement", With whole-chain, systematic and integrated service management, it is committed to providing passengers with whole-process, standardized and consistent service experience.
As a SKYTRAX-listed Four-Star Airline, China Southern was named as "The World's Favorite Airline" in 2016 and "The World's Most Improved Airline" in 2018.
In 2017 and 2020, it was honored twice as the national "Customer Satisfaction Benchmark" enterprise by the China Association for Quality and was awarded the AAA certification, the highest quality credit rating in the market.
In 2021, it was ranked 12th in the list of SKYTRAX “The World’s Top 100 Airlines 2021”, the highest rating among Chinese carriers. In 2022, it was named the “Best Airline in China”by SKYTRAX and topped all Chinese airlines in C-BPI ranking.
About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, was established in 2003 and has soon become one of the world's leading airlines. From Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways operates passenger and cargo flights to and from destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Together with its code-share partners, Etihad's route network covers hundreds of destinations worldwide. In recent years, Etihad Airways has received numerous awards for its quality products and services, cargo services and frequent flyer program. Etihad Airways is recognized as one of the world's leading airlines in the response to COVID-19 and the first airline in the world to have 100 percent of its flight crews vaccinated on all flights.
Etihad Airways regards tackling the climate crisis as the most important issue of our time. Through strategic partnerships with major airlines and manufacturers worldwide, Etihad Airways is relentlessly pursuing and promoting the decarbonization of the aviation industry.