China Southern strengthens WA link

China Southern Airlines might be a relatively new player in the eyes of Western Australia’s travelling public, but the aviation giant has an association with the state that dates back years before it launched its first air service 18 months ago.

Most attention this week was on the carrier’s major relaunch, which involves brand new planes plying its three-times-a-week Perth-Guangzhou route. Overlooked to a large degree amid that news was the fact that a big proportion of its huge aircrew workforce is trained in WA.

China Southern operates an air school here in a joint venture with training and simulation group CAE, providing flight instruction to as many as 100 cadets at any one time across facilities at Jandakot and Merredin.

China Southern’s news this week was the upgrade of the fleet servicing Perth to new A330-223 aircraft, the most modern in its fleet – adding fully flat seats in first and business classes as well as seat-back video throughout economy.

It is also involved in a joint promotion with Tourism WA to attract more visitors from China, with this state yet to capture its full share of travellers out of the growth market. The airline has also sought to boost traffic to China with a $720 economy fare and promotion of its Canton route to London using Guangzhou as a hub.

China Southern regional general manager Henry He said Perth was a significant part of the Australian market – one considered crucial by his airline, which, with 500 aircraft, was the biggest in Asia and the third largest globally.

“Perth is a very important market in Australia, China Southern Airlines needs to have a position here,” Mr He said.

In the past decade, the list of international airlines servicing Perth has changed from a Europe-centric offering to reflect the increased participation of Middle Eastern and Asian carriers at both the premium and discount ends of the market.

Newcomers during the past decade or so include Emirates, Qatar Airways, China Southern, Air Asia, and Tiger Airlines.

National airline Qantas has all but ceased direct flights to foreign destinations out of Perth, deferring to alliance partner Emirates in all cases except the route north to Singapore.

By comparison, Qatar Airways has made a major push into Perth offering flights to Europe, Africa and the US via its monopoly hub in Doha.