China Southern posts RMB 284 mln in profit for Q3

Oct. 28, 2009 (China Knowledge) - China Southern Airlines Ltd<600029><1055>, the country's largest airline by fleet size, on Tuesday reported a net profit of RMB 284 million for the third quarter, compared with a net loss of RMB 830 million in the third quarter of 2008.

The company said in a statement that its net profit for the first nine months reached RMB 332 million, compared with a net loss of RMB 21 million in 2008.

Revenue for the period from January to September rose 9.5% year on year to RMB 15.95 billion, according to the statement.

During the nine months ended Sep. 30, the Guangzhou-based carrier flew 49.03 million passengers, 13.6% more than in the same period of last year, which accounted for 92% of the country's total, up 15.6% from a year earlier.

In 2008, China Southern was the world's fifth-largest airline by passengers carried and Asia's largest carrier both by passenger volume and fleet size. Its main hubs are Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport.