China Southern Airlines, the country's largest carrier by fleet size, said Thursday it had become the 11th full member of the global airline alliance, Skyteam.

 

China Southern is the first domestic carrier to join the global alliance, which will carry 428 million passengers annually through a worldwide system of 16,400 daily flights to 841 destinations in 162 countries.

 

"We are excited to welcome China Southern into our network. This move allows us to offer our customers unparalleled access to the markets they want to reach," said Leo van Wijk, chairman of the Skyteam Governing Board, in a press release.

 

"China Southern's membership strengthens the alliance's position in serving the world's fastest growing markets."

 

As the first domestic carrier to operate its own terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport, China Southern is expected to help the alliance bolster its global hub network.

 

China Southern is the nation's largest airline in terms of fleet size and the number of flights and passengers. It operates more than 600 domestic and international routes serving 152 cities.

 

Liu Shaoyong, China Southern chairman, said the alliance would help his company accelerate the progress toward internationalization.

 

"China Southern will make use of Skyteam's network to expand cooperation with all the other members and better serve customers," said Liu.

 

The airline said that Chinese passengers would be able to get information at any of Skyteam's more than 2,100 ticket offices worldwide for travel arrangements as well as discounts offered by Skyteam.

 

International passengers can obtain flight and travel assistance from any member airline of Skyteam.

 

"We fully support airlines joining global alliances, which will help China's civil aviation industry acquire expertise and improve management and service quality," said Yang Yuanyuan, head of the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC).

 

Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan said China Southern's entry into the alliance would improve the competitiveness of China's aviation industry on the international market.

 

It would also promote the cooperation between alliance members, who would benefit from each other, said Zeng.

 

Such alliances would enable airline companies to share resources, pool risks and improve operating efficiency, Zeng said.

 

He said China would stick to the opening-up policy and encourage the aviation industry to carry out international exchanges and cooperation.

 

Skyteam, one of the three major civil aviation alliances in the world, has 11 full members, including Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines, Continental Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines.

 

Its three associate members are Air Europa, Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways.

 

Air China, the country's flagship carrier, is scheduled to join the Star Alliance next month.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 16, 2007)