China's three biggest airlines post heavy first-half losses as fuel shock bites
China's three biggest state-owned airlines reported first-half losses for the seventh consecutive year, battered by surging jet fuel prices, with the outlook for the rest of the year clouded by ...
Three of China's largest state-owned airlines reported heavy first-half losses in July, their seventh consecutive year of financial setbacks driven by soaring jet fuel prices. The three airlines, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines, combined reported a net loss of approximately 8.2 billion yuan ($1.22 billion), a sharp departure from their first-quarter profit of 4.82 billion yuan a year earlier. The losses sent their shares plummeting in both mainland China and Hong Kong markets on Monday.
Air China reported a 2.3 billion yuan loss, up from 1.81 billion yuan a year ago, while China Eastern and China Southern reported losses of 2.2 billion yuan and 3.7 billion yuan respectively, compared to losses of 1.43 billion yuan and 1.53 billion yuan the previous year. The airlines attributed the decline to disrupted international routes and persistently high jet fuel prices linked to the Middle East conflict. Fuel costs increased by 35% to 38% at each carrier.
Unlike many international rivals, Chinese airlines have little fuel hedging, leaving them exposed to oil price volatility. China Southern had no effective way to manage its exposure to fuel price fluctuations. While revenue growth was strong at the airlines, driven by international demand, weaker economic conditions and competition from high-speed rail and driving holidays have hampered their ability to raise fares significantly without depressing demand.
The jet fuel prices have fallen from their second-quarter peak but remain more than 50% above pre-war levels. The typically profitable third quarter has been hampered by an unusually high typhoon season, disrupting domestic routes during peak summer travel. Aviation data firm Flight Master projects a 3.6% year-on-year drop in traffic carried by Chinese airlines on domestic and international routes in July and August, marking the first contraction in the peak season since 2022.
Analysts expect the three airlines to post combined losses of about 16.8 billion yuan in 2026, a significant contrast to the market expectation of a profit of 1.3 billion yuan. The airlines reported expanding their fleets of domestically made COMAC jets, with China Eastern growing to 17 narrow-body planes, Air China and China Southern each operating 11 C919s.
Written by urgent.news from Gulf Times Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
