VariFlight - China Aviation Big Data Research Center has released the Chinese Airlines Development Report for January 2017:

- the total actual arrival flights of domestic airlines amounted to 351.4 thousand, representing a month-on-month growth of 5.0%;

- international flights amounted to 38.7 thousand, which accounted for 11.0% of total actual arrival flights;

- there were 5309 nonstop routes: 4067 domestic routes and 1242 international routes;

- domestic airlines provided 48.665 million seats on domestic flights, representing a month-on-month growth of 6.0%.

Actual arrival flights

1. Total actual arrival flights

Total actural arrival flights

In January 2017, the actual arrival flights of domestic airlines amounted to 351.4 thousand.

The actual arrival flights of major airlines totaled 298.9 thousand.

The actual arrival flights of other airlines totaled 52.5 thousand.

Month-on-month movement

Compared with December 2016, the total actual arrival flights of domestic airlines in January 2017 showed a month-on-month increase of 5.0%.

Year-on-year movement

Compared with January 2016, the total actual arrival flights of domestic airlines in January 2017 showed a year-on-year increase of 12.3%.

2. Major airlines' actual arrival flights

TOP3 in actural arrival flights

China Southern Airlines: CZ, actural arrival flights totaled 60.4 thousand

China Eastern Airlines: MU, actural arrival flights totaled 58.3 thousand

Air China: CA, actural arrival flights totaled 37.4 thousand

Month-on-month movement

The airline with the largest month-on-month increase on actural arrival flights in January 2017 compared with December 2016 is Sichuan Airlines (3U, a month-on-month increase of 15.6%).

Compared with December 2016, all airlines showed an increase on actural arrival flights except China Express (G5, a month-on-month decrease of 22.3%).

3. Other airlines' actual arrival flights

TOP3 in actural arrival flights

Lucky Air: 8L, actural arrival flights totaled 6434

China United Airlines: KN, actural arrival flights totaled 4364

West Air: PN, actural arrival flights totaled 4270

Month-on-month movement

The airline with the largest month-on-month increase on actural arrival flights in January 2017 compared with December 2016 is Air Guilin (GT, with a month-on-month increase of 45.0%).

Compared with December 2016, all airlines showed an increase on actural arrival flights except Hebei Airlines (NS), Hongtu Airlines (A6) and Chengdu Airlines (EU).

International flights & proportion

1. International flights & Proportion

International flights

In January, the international flights carried out by domestic airlines amounted to 38.7 thousand, representing a month-on-month increase of 6.8%.

In January, the domestic flights carried out by domestic airlines amounted to 312.7 thousand, representing a month-on-month increase of 4.8%.

The month-on-month increase of international flights is greater than the domestic airlines'.

Proportion of international flights

In January, international flights carried out by domestic airlines accounted for 11.0% of total actural arrival flights.

Compared with December 2016, the proportion of international flights carried out by domestic airlines in January 2017 showed a month-on-month increase of 0.2%.

Compared with January 2016, the proportion of international flights carried out by domestic airlines in January 2017 showed a year-on-year decrease of 0.3%.

2. Each airline's international flights & proportion of international flights

Note: Month-on-month increase represents a percentage movement of the proportion of international flights compared with last month.

TOP3 in international flights

China Eastern Airlines: MU, 9484 international flights

China Southern Airlines: CZ, 8584 international flights

Air China: CA, 6806 international flights

TOP3 in proportion of international flights

Spring Airlines: 9C, 28.2%

Air China: CA, 18.2%

China Eastern Airlines: MU, 16.3%

TOP3 in month-on-month increase of proportion of international flights

Juneyao Air: HO, a month-on-month increase of 1.8%

Air Guilin: GT, a month-on-month increase of 1.6%

Okay Airways: BK, a month-on-month increase of 0.6%

Nonstop routes

1. Total amount of nonstop routes

In January 2017, there are 5309 nonstop routes of domestic airlines. Domestic routes totaled 4067 and international routes totaled 1242.

Compared with December 2016, nonstop routes had a net increase of 231 in January 2017. 280 new routes were launched while 49 routes were closed.

Compared with December 2016, domestic routes had a net increase of 189 in January 2017. 214 new routes were launched while 25 routes were closed.

Compared with December 2016, international routes had a net increase of 42 in January 2017. 66 new routes were launched while 24 routes were closed.

2. Major airlines' nonstop routes

TOP3 in domestic routes

China Eastern Airlines: MU, 965 routes

China Southern Airlines: CZ, 959 routes

Air China: CA, 575 routes

TOP3 in international routes

China Eastern Airlines: MU, 339 routes

China Southern Airlines: CZ, 317 routes

Air China: CA, 226 routes

TOP3 in new routes

China Eastern Airlines: MU, 72 new routes, 60 domestic routes, 12 international routes

Hainan Airlines: HU, 66 new routes, 53 domestic routes, 13 international routes

China Southern Airlines: CZ, 56 new routes, 42 domestic routes, 14 international routes

3. Other airlines' nonstop routes

TOP3 in domestic routes

Lucky Air: 8L, 205 routes

China United Airlines: KN, 146 routes

Loong Air: GJ, 144 routes

TOP3 in international routes

Okay Airways: BK, 30 routes

Lucky Air: 8L, 28 routes

Fuzhou Airlines: FU, 4 routes

TOP3 in new routes

Okay Airways: BK, 24 new routes, 20 domestic routes, 4 international routes

Air Guilin: GT, 19 new routes, 18 domestic routes, 1 international routes

Tibet Airlines: TV, 18 new domestic routes

Domestic flights' capacity

1. Capacity of each airline's domestic flights

Major airlines

TOP3 in domestic flights' capacity

China Southern Airlines: CZ, 7.977 million

China Eastern Airlines: MU, 7.339 million

Air China: CA, 5.279 million

Month-on-month movement in capacity

Sichuan Airlines: 3U, with the largest month-on-month increase of 17.3%

China Express: G5, with the largest month-on-month decrease of -25.7%

Other airlines

TOP3 in domestic flights' capacity

Lucky Air: 8L, 0.974 million

West Air: PN, 0.73 million

China United Airlines: KN, 0.712 million

Month-on-month movement in capacity

Jiangxi Air: RY, with the largest month-on-month increase of 39.6%

Hebei Airlines: NS, with the largest month-on-month decrease of -7.4%

2. Popular domestic routes' capacity

PEK-SHA

Beijing Capital - Shanghai Hongqiao

In January, domestic airlines' total capacity on this route is 0.28 million.

There are 7 domestic airlines performing this route.

China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Hainan Airlines ranked top 3 in providing capacity on this route, which accounted for 48.0%, 29.5% and 9.6% of total capacity privided by domestic airlines.

SHA-PEK

Shanghai Hongqiao - Beijing Capital

In January, domestic airlines' total capacity on this route is 0.277 million.

There are 7 domestic airlines performing this route.

China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Hainan Airlines ranked top 3 in providing capacity on this route, which accounted for 47.8%, 29.8% and 9.6% of total capacity privided by domestic airlines.

JHG-KMG

Xishuangbanna - Kunming Changshui

In January, domestic airlines' total capacity on this route is 0.139 million.

There are 11 domestic airlines performing this route.

China Eastern Airlines, Lucky Air and Kunming Airlines ranked top 3 in providing capacity on this route, which accounted for 35.6%, 24.5% and 9.5% of total capacity privided by domestic airlines.

CTU-PEK

Chengdu Shuangliu - Beijing Capital

In January, domestic airlines' total capacity on this route is 0.229 million.

There are 6 domestic airlines performing this route.

Air China, Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines ranked top 3 in providing capacity on this route, which accounted for 46.3%, 23.5% and 18.6% of total capacity privided by domestic airlines.

About the data

Source: VariFlight

Duration: January 1, 2017-January 31, 2017

Domestic airlines: China mainland's airlines which have actural arrival flights in January 2017.

Passenger flights: only scheduled passenger flights are included in this report; cargo flights, business aviation flights and general aviation flights are not included.

Airline categories: VariFlight classifies domestic airlines according to their annual actural arrival flights in 2016. Airlines with over 200(inclusive) average daily flights are major domestic airlines, and airlines with under 200 average daily flights are other domestic airlines.

Actual arrival flights: the flights with actual departure and arrival time that could be monitored by VariFlight; cancelled flights are not included.

International flights: the actural arrival international flights of domestic airlines, including flights between domestic areas and international/regional areas, and flights between international/regional reas and international/regional areas.

Proportion of international flights: International flights / actural arrival flights

New routes: domestic airlines' nonstop routes which appeared in the current month but didn't appear in last month

Closed routes: domestic airlines' nonstop routes which appeared in last month but didn't appear in the current month

Net increase in the number of routes: the number of new routes - the number of closed routes

Domestic routes: routes between domestic areas.

International routes: routes between domestic areas and international/regional areas, and between international/regional areas and international/regional areas.

Capacity of domestic flights: the number of seats provided by domestic airlines in actural flights between domestic areas.

Popular domestic routes: the routes with the biggest domestic airlines' actural arrival flights between domestic areas