China Southern Airlines

Bumbling in the cockpit almost results in a China Southern airline crash in Wuhan

Posted: 03/8/2013 9:00 am

If you are scared of flying already, you might want to skip this story. It turns out a China Southern Airlines captain put his passengers in danger after a series of missteps narrowly avoided a crash a couple of weeks ago in Wuhan.

The plane ended up striking objects on the ground outside Wuhan Airport, damaging the underbelly and forcing the plane into an emergency landing at Hefei Airport.

The botched landing attempt of the Boeing 737-800, which holds 164 passengers, took place on February 25. Rumours of the incident circulated on Weibo, but have only now been confirmed by China’s aviation regulator.

The results of a preliminary investigation by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) revealed the captain of the Guangzhou-Wuhan flight disengaged the auto-pilot at 1,000 feet as the plane was descending. This led to the following sequence of events on-board flight CZ 3367:

- At 430 feet, both pilots were unable to spot the runaway approach lights. The first officer called for a ‘go-around’, meaning another landing attempt, but the instruction was ignored. The night-time landing was also hampered by the weather. The foggy conditions meant visibility was between 1,200 metres and 1,500 metres.

- Upon checking outside, the first officer discovered the plane was low, which triggered a “too-low” alarm in the cockpit.

- The co-pilot once again called for a ‘go-around’, which got no response. It took another “too-low” warning for action to be taken.

- As the plane accelerated upwards, the aircraft struck objects on the ground – scraping antenna beacons – forcing the aircraft to burn excess fuel as it headed to Hefei Airport in neighbouring Anhui province.

- The China Southern Airlines flight landed safely at Hefei Airport some 200 nautical miles away.

Simon Hradecky of the Aviation Herald has more on the damage done:

The CAAC reported that the aircraft sustained damage (penetrations and dents) to the left main gear door and left main gear proximity cover actuator, the left main gear outboard tyre received cuts.

The antennas of the southern NDB (non-directional beacon) “D” and inner marker were damaged, two other antenna pillars were damaged as well.

The CAAC annotated that the approach was continued below MDA (minimum decent altitude) without necessary visual reference putting the aircraft below the approach profile, in addition the crew did not initiate the go-around after the first ground proximity alert.

For an airline decorated with the Five-Star Flight Safety Award by the CAAC in 2008, this was an avoidable incident.

Tagged: Anhui ProvinceBaiyun AirportCAACCaptainChina Southern AirlinesCivil Aviation Administration of ChinaEmergency LandingFirst OfficerGuangzhou-Wuhanhefei airportHubei ProvinceWuhan Airport

Air rage reaching all new levels in China, gate agent beaten in Guangzhou

Posted: 03/7/2013 8:47 am

Airplane passengers are once again in the spotlight thanks to a delay which led to an attack on airline staff in Guangzhou.

Few details are known so far about the incident which took place on February 20, towards the tail end of the Chinese New Year.

Two passengers were angry over the late arrival of a China Southern Airlines flight from Melbourne, Australia, and took out their anger on a gate agent, who they beat to the ground.

As you can see in the picture below, he is cradled, covering his face. A few barriers can be seen knocked down.

All in all, it looks like a mess.
This incident is pretty similar to the actions of Yan Linkun, the now suspended CPPCC committee member and deputy chairman of a state-owned Yunnan Mining Corporation, who was caught on CCTV smashing the place up after he missed his flight.

We’ve now got a video with sound to hear his unfortunate episode.

He went berserk at one of the gates at Kunming Airport for missing his flight, not once, but twice. All the damage, thankfully, was to inanimate objects rather than airline staff who bravely watched on.

Here’s a series of notable passenger incidents in February as Adam Minter points out:

– Feb. 6, Kunming Changshui International Airport: In a video that has gone viral internationally, Yan Linkun, a mining executive and county-level Communist Party official, smashes two boarding gate computers and attempts to send the frame of a sign through the glass door standing between him and the second flight that he and his family have missed.

– Feb. 14, Beijing Capital International Airport: Six business-class passengers traveling together refuse to fasten their seat belts or turn off their phones prior to takeoff, then become abusive toward the flight attendants and captain, forcing a return to the gate and a substantial flight delay.

– Feb. 22, Air France Flight 132, somewhere between Paris and Wuhan: Two men, reportedly drunk, swipe between seven and 16 bottles of wine (accounts vary) from a drink cart. When confronted, they become so belligerent that the pilot has to intervene. They still manage to threaten the life of a passenger whom they judge as particularly nosy.

This is just the tip of the iceberg but I think we all need a bit of travelling etiquette.

Tagged: AttackBaiyun AirportCanton RouteChina Southern AirlinesCPPCCEtiquetteGuangzhou-MelbourneMelbourneParis-WuhanWineYan LinkunYunnan Mining Corporation

Train arriving soon: Shenzhen to Xiamen’s sandy beaches in just 3 hours

Posted: 02/22/2013 2:10 pm

A weekend getaway to sand and sea (and maybe sunshine) without having to fight queues at airport security will soon be possible.

A new coast-to-coast high-speed rail link shuttling passengers between Shenzhen and Xiamen in Fujian province in just three hours will launch this coming September.

The new 20-stop route will skirt along several major cities along the way, including Huizhou. The line will be a big boost to for travellers. Shenzhen is a go-to destination for business while Xiamen is popular for its sandy beaches and surrounding views. It’s often seen as an alternative to the hotspot of Hainan Island.

All of this will be possible when trains begin departing from Shenzhen North Station, slashing the existing train time from a whopping 15 hours.

Life of Guangzhou believes the price of a first class ticket between Shenzhen North and Xiamen will be 190 yuan and a standard class fare will be 160 yuan one-way.

In the battle for passengers between airlines and railways (as we reported a few days ago), this new front will put pressure on Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern and it’s subsidiary Xiamen Air, who all fly out of Bao’an Airport. Prices could well be set for a downward trend.

The latest check on September one-way airfares with eLong.com show tickets selling for 550 yuan before taxes and other fees.

Here is the station list calling at:
Guangdong province (广东省)
Shenzhen North (圳北站) – Pingshan (坪山) – Huizhou South (惠南)- Huizhou East (惠东) – Houmen (鲘门) – Shanwei (汕尾) – Lufeng (陆丰) – Kuitan (葵潭) – Puning (普宁) – Chaoyang (潮阳) – Chaoshan (潮汕) – Raoping (饶平)

Fujian province (福建省)
Zhaoan (诏安) – Yunxiao (云霄) – Zhangpu (漳浦) – Yangkui (杨奎) – Zhangzhou South (漳州南) – Jiaomei (角美) – Qianchang (前场) – Xiamen North (厦门北).

Station list: Life of Guangzhou

Image: Danny Lee

Tagged: China Southern AirlineseLongHainan AirlinesHainan IslandHigh-Speed TrainHuizhouSandy BeachSandy BeachesShenzhen AirlinesShenzhen Bao'an AirportShenzhen North-Xiamen NorthXiamenXiamen Air

Airline revenue crashing due to high-speed rail competition in China

Posted: 02/20/2013 3:55 pm

China’s major airlines are spilling red ink everywhere.

The SCMP is reporting that mainland carriers have amassed RMB1 billion (US$160 million) in losses in the last three months, with pressure coming from China’s ever-expanding high-speed rail network.

Those suffering include Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines, the biggest of the major domestic carriers, whose revenue per kilometer – a measurement of the available seats sold – fell 1 per cent year-on-year. By comparison, Air China shed 1.5 per cent and China Eastern slumped 2 per cent.

But those statistics don’t really tell the story of last year.

China Southern, which is ramping up capacity with the introduction of five Airbus A380s, is putting more resources into its long-haul operations. The newly appointed ‘Canton Route’ is part of the new international focus. At the same time, it is having to contend with soaring jet-fuel prices.

Here is a significant line from the general manager Tan Wangeng carried in CAPA revealing the extent of today’s problems:

All of the carrier’s 30 weekly services from Guangzhou to Australia and New Zealand are profitable, the result of the carrier’s strategic transformation into an international network carrier (Xinhua, 06-Feb-2013). According to Mr Tan, the majority of Chinese carrier’s international routes are making losses.

With high-speed rail supercharging national connectivity, it’s going some way to put downward pressure on airfares, placing it at odds with the state-backed carriers.

Here’s what MF Global’s greater China transport analyst Geoffrey Cheng told SCMP’s Charlotte So:

“The diversion to high-speed trains has become more and more serious as the memory of the high-speed-train tragedy in Wenzhou in 2011 fades out.”

The situation has been made worse by airlines boosting capacity in expectation of a brisk Chinese New Year. Now, rock-bottom prices are in the system to try and fill seats.

While lagging, aviation analysts CAPA say growth will more than make up for short-term sluggishness. They says airlines can absorb a 3 per cent capacity cut in 2013.

If the 3% drop in capacity is entirely correlated to HSR, the one-year drop would be made up for in coming years with higher growth.

With the Chinese government tightly controlling aircraft imports, demand generally exceeds supply, which would allow any excess capacity on a route to be re-deployed.

CAPA has also conducted more of a detailed analysis on the impact of high-speed rail in China.

HSR holds an advantage over air travel on sectors under 800km. Between 800-1200km there could be a tradeoff depending on factors including how direct the train tracks are and what the fare difference is. Above 1200km air travel will almost always hold an advantage.

Seems pretty straight forward.

China Southern’s biggest high-speed rail threats are from Guangzhou to Wuhan (1020 km) and Beijing (2170km).

Image: Danny Lee

Tagged: Air ChinaBeijing-GuangzhouCAPACharlotte SoChina EasternChina Southern AirlinesCSAGuangzhou-WuhanHigh Speed RailSCMPSouth China Morning Post

Diaoyu dispute forces Chinese airlines to cut service to Japan

Posted: 11/5/2012 11:00 am

China Southern Airlines is axing 22 Japanese flights and scaling back capacity on other routes in and out of the country during the winter months, a move largely seen as a result of reduced demand for flights to Japan amid the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute.

Airline Route is reporting services from Changchun, Dalian, Guangzhou, Harbin and Shenyang are being reduced, affecting flights to Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo Narita and Toyama.

Dalian is the worst hit, losing 14 flights.

The Centre for Aviation (CAPA) revealed one-way seat capacity between China and Japan has fallen to its lowest level since 2004. Capacity for October was down 9 per cent year-on-year.

Other plans to boost capacity have also been shelved, affecting the second daily Guangzhou-Osaka Kansai service.

The 174-seat Airbus A321 will continue to serve the route, replacing the 374-seat Boeing 777-200 for the time being, representing a near 110% cut in seat availability. CSA has also removed 120 seats from its daily Guangzhou-Tokyo Narita service, replacing its Airbus A330-200 with a Boeing 737-800.

Airspace reform urged
The Comprehensive Transport Institute is calling for reform of China’s airspace and expanding its use for civilian aviation.

The group is warning congestion will come to a head once Guangzhou’s new runway opens, combined with a third runway being considered in Hong Kong.

China Daily carry this self-evident line describing the situation:

The region’s sky has been so severely congested that the International Air Transport Association has said that the situation in the Pearl River Delta is one of the top three global air traffic control problems.

With more flights connecting six PRD airports (Foshan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Zhuhai) to the rest of Asia and the world, experts are questioning how much more the region can take with such little approved airspace available.

Passenger improvements for Baiyun Airport
Life of Guangzhou is reporting airport management at Baiyun Airport will invest RMB4 million into passenger improvements at Baiyun Airport.

Some ideas include a smartphone app for better on-the-move information in the hands of passengers.

Tagged: AirspaceBaiyun AirportCAPACentre For AviationChina Southern AirlinesCongestedDiaoyu IslandsFoshan AirportGuangzhou-Tokyo NaritaHong Kong International AirportJapanMacau International AirportSenkaku IslandsShenzhen Bao'an AirportTaiwanTerritorial DisputeZhuhai Airport

Hong Kong Airlines dumps London service, new flights from Guangzhou to Japan

Posted: 08/20/2012 2:42 pm

This week, a mix of good and bad news for the Pearl River Delta airspace.

HK Airlines dumps loss-making London service
Hong Kong Airlines seems to be in a tailspin. The airline already cancelled its all-business class service to London Gatwick only seven months after it announced the service amid much fanfare.

All tickets from September 3 were shown as sold out last week, which raised speculation the London route was about to fall under the axe. Poor planning and miscalculations have led to the service being “deep in the red” ever since the launch, according to the SCMP.

Post reporter Charlotte So has more figures on HK Airlines’ errors:

The operating cost of the 14-hour flight is estimated at HK$3 million, including fuel costs, crew allowances and inflight meals.

Insiders said the carrier burns about HK$1 million to HK$2 million a day on the service and around HK$10 million a month. The monthly losses are lower than they would normally be because the airline cancels the services from time to time depending on the demand.

The company blamed troubles in Europe for failing to lure passengers away from Cathay Pacific and British Airways.

Now, HK Airlines, backed by the HNA Group, owner of China’s fourth largest carrier Hainan Airlines, will attempt to build on its Asian connections.

In the days leading up to the cancellation of its London service the airline was cited by regulators for poor service, blocking any expansion to the fleet. According to Reuters, this lead to HK Airlines cancelling its $3.8 billion order for 10 Airbus A380s.

Jeffrey Lowe, general manager of Asian Sky Group, a Hong Kong-based aviation consultants group told Reuters:

It sounds like a very diplomatic way to say that we think your safety standards are slipping so, until you can show us you can handle any additional aircraft being added to your fleet, we would not approve it.

And the airline is still reeling from Typhoon Vicente, taking over a week to clear the backlog of passengers caught up in the worst storm to batter the South China coast in 13 years.

The final flight will pick up Hong Kong’s Paralympians, as the official carrier for the athletes, from London on September 10.

Kangaroo versus Canton? The battle of the skies heats up
Guangzhou’s China Southern Airlines (CSA) is bringing out its best aircraft for its new Sydney-London route, adding pressure to competitors in the battle for passengers, profits and prestige.

CSA president and CEO Tan Wangeng told Australian Business Traveller the airline’s new 787 Dreamliner will be deployed on the route.

We will spare no effort in building the Canton Route into a premium product, using new Airbus A380 superjumbo and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The news will cause some concern at Qantas, where its struggling international outfit, including that of their Kangaroo Route via Singapore, faces stiff competition against the likes of Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and more.

China Southern will be the first airline to utilise the aircraft in British and Australian airspace beating both country’s own flagship carriers.

Japan-China seal Open-Skies deal
Japan and China have signed a new air deal boosting the number of flights between the two countries, liberalising the Sino-Japan market.

The deal, announced on August 8, will see new routes and increased frequencies which include Guangzhou-Tokyo Haneda for the first time. The pact has already roused interest with many Japanese-based airlines eyeing new departures to China.

Ethiopian u-turn on 787 service to Guangzhou
Ethiopian Airlines has dropped plans to deploy its new 787 Dreamliner to Guangzhou. While not good for passengers, it will be good news for China Southern which will have the honour of being the first carrier to utilise the newest aircraft in the Mainland.

Hong Kong Airlines picture by Benson Kua on Flickr

Guangzhou getting a new airport, India’s SpiceJet starts service to the PRD

Posted: 08/4/2012 11:00 am

A lot can happen in a week, and in the latest PRD aviation round-up of the thriving sector, The Nanfang gives you new and expanding airports, bigger planes and new destinations.

Baiyun Airport gets bigger, so will the number of Guangzhou’s airports
In the latest gathering of Guangzhou’s political decision-makers, the Standing Committee approved plans to construct a third runway at Baiyun Airport with construction starting this month. In other news, construction will begin on the airport’s new second terminal – just north of the existing facility – by the end of the year.

However, if that isn’t enough, China Daily reports that the airport extension is in line with current plans to create a second Guangzhou airport to the south of the city. If plans come to fruition, the PRD will become one of the most congested regional airspaces in the country catering for Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Macau.

China Southern’s first A380 international flight
There was a lot of hype, fanfare and attention on China Southern Airlines (CSA) newest arrival, the double-decker A380, last year. Then it headed into a year-long domestic exile. Now though, it’s going international: It’s off to Hollywood.

The carrier’s upgraded service will take off on October 12 as the first and only Chinese superjumbo to head across the Pacific.

While China Southern already flies to Los Angeles, it believes it can tap into a greater share of the Trans-Pacific market. In doing so, Airline Route reckons overall capacity will soar 78 per cent, meaning CSA has its work cut out for itself.

CSA has three superjumbos in its fleet with two more on the way, which will be deployed on international routes and primary domestic cities.

India’s SpiceJet heads to the PRD’s busiest airports
India’s budget airline SpiceJet has won government approval to expand international operations, starting with daily services to Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The Nanfang earlier reported on India’s aviation reforms aimed at revitalising the sector.

As SpiceJet plans for a China arrival, Dragonair prepares for a second Indian landing
Dragonair is extending its reach away from the Far East and South East Asia. Starting November 2, a new four-times-a-week service to Kolkata, in the eastern state of West Bengal, will take off. The move will also help support Cathay Pacific, its parent company, as a feeder and codeshare airline. Cathay already flies to five major Indian cities.

And two major updates on stories The Nanfang trailed last week on Shenzhen-Sydney, Delhi-Hong Kong-Osaka Kansai and Delhi-Hong Kong-Seoul Incheon. Air India is resuming flights to Seoul Incheon and Osaka Kansai via Hong Kong earlier than planned. The Delhi-Hong Kong-Osaka Kansai route resumes with three weekly flights starting on August 21 and Delhi-Hong Kong-Seoul Incheon resumes the following day with four flights a week.

Hainan Airlines has postponed resuming its Sydney service until December 3.

China Southern Airlines boosts GZ-London flights; Shenzhen-Sydney starts

Posted: 07/26/2012 6:00 pm

China’s major airlines are heading into some turbulence: slowing traffic, government controlled jet fuel prices, and the depreciation of the RMB are all dampening aviation ambitions. It seems most major airlines are issuing profit warnings, too. Despite the problems, it seems there’s never a shortage of new routes being opened up, especially down here in China’s manufacturing hotbed. Here is a round up of the latest news around the airlines affecting the Pearl River Delta.

China Southern ramps up London service
It wasn’t long ago that China Southern Airlines (CSA) launched their new Guangzhou-London service, and they’re already increasing the frequency of flights. Starting October 28, Heathrow will get daily service from Guangzhou, the only non-stop flight between the two cities.

Shenzhen starts-up Sydney service again
Hainan Airlines is returning to Sydney, Australia once more starting October 29 after a near nine-month hiatus – also making it the furthest international destination from Shenzhen to anywhere in the Asia-Pacific, let alone the world.

China Southern’s South East Asia shuffle
From September 21, Kuala Lumpur gets an extra daily flight from Guangzhou, taking the total to three flights a day.

Starting September 24 there will be extra flights from Guangzhou to Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore and Yangon. Ho Chi Minh goes thrice-daily, Singapore has been increased to four-a-day while Yangon temporarily doubles to four-a-week until October 26. Finally, starting October 1, twice-daily service resumes on the Guangzhou-Manila route after passenger traffic took a knock over rising political tensions between the Mainland and the Philippines earlier this summer.

Hong Kong’s winter blues
Winter is the time of year where wings are clipped in the northern hemisphere as far as long-haul goes. British Airways are keeping to its 14 weekly departures from Heathrow, previously aiming for 17, while European rival Lufthansa reduces daily departures to a five or six flights a week service.

And in recent weeks, Hong Kong has been hit by strikes at Air India. While there’s been a resolution, flights from Delhi to Hong Kong and onwards to Osaka Kansai and Seoul Incheon are still suspended until September 1.

Emirates A380 Hong Kong u-turn
The Dubai-carrier has backed out of plans to introduce a 14-weekly A380 service to Hong Kong. It will stick to its previous seven A380 departures via Bangkok, with four other aircraft going to Hong Kong non-stop.

There’s still hope
It’s not all bad news in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Airlines is boosting services to Shanghai Pudong starting August 1. Its introducing an extra three flights on top of the 14-weekly in an all-new business class only flight. And from September 10, the number of flights will rise to 21 a week.

Source: Airline Route

Plane bound for Shenzhen had tire problem, forcing it to stay in the air for 2 extra hours

Posted: 07/20/2012 7:00 am

Airline safety is being discussed in the region after a tire malfunction caused a minor scare on a Shenzhen-bound plane this week.

A plane had to fly around in circles for nearly two hours before landing at Shenzhen Airport on July 16, according to local media. A representative of China Southern Airlines admitted there had been a problem, but denied that the tire had burst.

Flight CZ3160, which was an Airbus 321 carrying 187 people, arrived late after the as yet unidentified tire problem kept them in the air for an additional two hours. It finally landed around 8 p.m. after nearly five hours in the air.

The company insisted that it was a very ordinary and minor problem and assured fliers that it would be doubly careful in the future, according to Sina News.

One netizen urged airline companies to value safety above everything else. Another inquired, “if this kind of thing is common, then do you still dare to fly?”

In 1997, China Southern Airlines flight CZ3456 from Chongqing to Shenzhen crashed, killing 33. The most serious plane crash of recent years in China was Henan Airlines flight VD8387 which crashed in Yichun City, Heilongjiang in 2010 killing 42.

Tagged: Air TravelAviationBeijingChina Southern AirlinesShenzhen Airport

Big British Day bash coming up next weekend in Guangzhou

Posted: 05/25/2012 7:00 am

With Queen Elizabeth II celebrating her Diamond Jubilee commemorating 60 years on the throne, and the London Summer Olympics just around the corner, it’s a big year for Britons. In honour of the occasion, Guangzhou is celebrating its second annual British Day, Saturday, June 2.

In what organizers bill as “a slice of British culture”, guests can expect an array of famous British food and drink, live entertainment from a Beatles tribute band, great prizes (including return tickets to London) and fun activities, such as mini-golf and a children’s Olympic Games.

Organisers expect up to 1,000 locals and expats to attend the event in what will surely be a fantastic celebration of all things British. Here’s hoping that the dreary British weather will not be in attendance.

And in case British Day, the Diamond Jubilee, and the London Olympics weren’t reason enough to celebrate, there’s also good news for Guangzhou Britons looking to fly home. In order to combat Olympic traffic, China Southern Airlines is launching a brand new service to London Heathrow from Baiyun Airport, taking to the skies for a thrice-weekly service (Wed, Fri and Sun). The new schedule comes into effect June 6th.

Here’s all the details for British Day:
Date: Saturday, June 2

Time: Starts at 12 noon.

Location: The British School of Guangzhou, No.983-3, Tonghe Road, Guangzhou

地点：广州英国校，广州同和路983-3号

Entrance fee: 20 RMB for adults, 10 RMB for kids below 1.2m.

For more details, including a taxi printout to get to the venue, get the details on The Nanfang’s Events page.

British Day has been organised by the British School of Guangzhou, British Consulate-General Guangzhou, British Chamber of Commerce Guangdong and the British Council’s Cultural and Education Section of the British Consulate-General

The Nanfang is a proud media partner for this event.