Xiamen Airlines ‘epitome of China’s aviation industry’, says Chinese President Xi Jinping
Xiamen Air lives up to president’s praise with over 200 Boeing jets, nearly 400 domestic and international routes and a strong financial performance
Xiamen Airlines (XiamenAir) is one of the city’s most successful enterprises. The first airline in China to operate under the modern enterprise system, it has also been praised by President Xi Jinping as the “the epitome of China’s aviation industry”.
Established in 1984, XiamenAir has become one of the largest airlines on the mainland and the largest all-Boeing fleet carrier. On May 22, it took delivery of its 200th aircraft: its first Boeing 737 MAX, which is equipped with some of the latest aviation technologies, such as the winglet and a brand new engine.
Headquartered in Xiamen, XiamenAir is jointly owned by China Southern Airlines (55 per cent), Xiamen Construction and Development Group (34 per cent), and Fujian Investment and Development Group (11 per cent).
The airline is also known for its strong financial performance, making profits for the past 31 consecutive years, with its total assets of exceeding 40 billion yuan
With the rapid growth of China’s aviation industry, the airline increased its fleet to 100 aircraft in 2013, and doubled its size over the past five years by adding about 20 new planes each year. The airline now operates nearly 400 domestic and international routes.
XiamenAir launched its first intercontinental flight between Xiamen and Amsterdam in July 2015, using its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, followed the Fuzhou-Sydney flight in November, and Xiamen-Sydney in December. Between 2015 and
2017, the airline launched 10 intercontinental flights to major cities across Europe, North America and Oceania, including Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York, Seattle, Sydney and Vancouver.
The airline is also known for its strong financial performance, making profits for the past 31 consecutive years, with its total assets of exceeding 40 billion yuan (HK$49 billion). Over the past five years, the airline recorded an average annual growth of 15 per cent in passenger traffic.
Last year, the airline registered operating revenue of 26.12 billion yuan, up 19.4 per cent from a year earlier, with profits rising 22.1 per cent to 1.436 billion yuan. During the year, the airline carried 31.8 million passengers, up 17.8 per cent, with passenger load factor reaching 79.9 per cent, up 3.6 percentage points.
