Airlines mull cooperation on Beijing-Paris route

Air China Ltd, the nation's biggest international carrier, is working on a deal with China Southern Airlines Co Ltd, the country's largest airline by passengers, to jointly operate a Airbus A380 superjumbo on the Beijing-to-Paris route.

Air China President Cai Jianjiang disclosed the plans to The Beijing Times newspaper on Tuesday.

Rao Xinyu, Air China board secretary, told China Daily that Cai discussed the matter during the company's interim report conference.

The cooperation between the two carriers is just beginning, subject to further discussion about details.

Rao said the two airlines will co-operate on the A380 — the world’s largest passenger jet — through code-sharing.

The two carriers also are considering jointly developing the dealership of the route by sharing cost and income, an unnamed source was quoted as saying by The Beijing Times.

However, there are still hurdles ahead in their joint plans, according to Wang Jiangmin, a Beijing-based analyst at China Southern.

Air China is a member of the Star Alliance, but China Southern has joined SkyTeam, bringing about coordination difficulties such as which terminal to choose for takeoff and landing, Wang said.

Zhu Qingyu, director of market research department at China Air Transport, said as long as the airlines reach agreements on their respective responsibilities, there won’t be any problems.