Exclusive | China Eastern unites with Delta to gain edge at Beijing’s seven-runway Daxing airport
Cutthroat competition is expected between China’s three big state-owned carriers
China’s third largest airline is teaming up with the world’s most valuable and profitable carrier in a bid to secure an edge over its rivals at Beijing’s new seven-runway airport, setting the stage for cutthroat competition when it opens in 2019.
As the country’s three big state-owned carriers look for the advantage, with the airport being built in Beijing’s southern suburb of Daxing, China Eastern Airlines will tap into US giant Delta Air Lines’ operational experience that helped with the success of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Post has learned.
China Eastern is poised to relocate to the capital’s new US$12.9 billion (HK$100 billion) Beijing Daxing International Airport within two years to challenge flagship carrier Air China, which will remain at the existing Beijing Capital Airport. China Southern Airlines, China Eastern and Air China currently compete from their “home” airports in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing respectively. Each currently runs smaller operations in rival cities, but will now compete for the first time on a much bigger scale in the same city.
The capital’s two airports would make Beijing “one of the most competitive markets in the world”, according to OAG Aviation’s Mayur Patel, highlighting “how much confidence the aviation industry has in China”.
Daxing, when fully operational, will be capable of handling 100 million passengers a year. In contrast, Beijing’s existing three-runway airport flew 94 million passengers in 2016, according to official statistics.