Stay true to ourselves and forge ahead, together let’s take giant steps for a better tomorrow–Wang Xu

2021-03-29

Wang Xu

VP of Operation Division for Marketing and E-business Platform, China Southern Airlines Company Limited

Q1: If you are asked to remember 2020 with only one word or phrase what would it be? Why?

A:”Timely Response to Uncertainty”.

Undoubtedly, the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic is brutal. Tourism has been one of the sectors directly impacted, causing a domino effect that has spawned uncertainties and changes in civil aviation. As the largest airline in China, China Southern Airlines is facing the most challenges. However, we have been doing our best to adapt proactively to this unprecedented situation. Our response covers three fundamental aspects:

First, in the face of the epidemic, we took on our social responsibility. At the height of the fight against the pandemic in 2020, China Southern Airlines devoted 18,000 flights to the transportation of 25,000 medical staff members, 29,000 tons of medical materials and the repatriation of 24,000 people who were stranded overseas. With strict prevention and control measures, we managed to achieve “zero infection” on any of our international or domestic flights and “zero infection” among staff members. Dr. Zhong Nanshan, the renowned academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, handwrote a letter complimenting us and recognizing our efforts when he traveled on one of our flights. At a national conference recognizing the achievements in epidemic prevention, our B777 fleet as a group and our cabin crew chief Ms. Tian Jing personally received an award for their excellent service and performance.

Secondly, we made quick business adjustments. Refund and ticket-change policies for individual passengers and groups were announced immediately after the outbreak. Along with subsequent public notices and operational guidelines, we managed to make sure refund and ticket-change cases were processed in as timely a manner as possible.

Next to safety, punctuality is the second best quality for a commercial airline. Last year, due to the epidemic, a variety of response measures including health-code check were adopted by airports across the country. This resulted in frequent flight delays. In light of the situation, China Southern Airlines optimized its boarding procedures. As a result, in 2020, our on-time rate reached 89.88%, a year-on-year increase of 6.56 percentage points and 1.36 percentage points higher than the industry average, ranking first among the three major state-owned airlines in China for the 5th consecutive year.In addition, we seized the recovery opportunity in China’s domestic market. With particular attention given to the matching of flight arrangements and the actual conditions of local economy, we made a full commitment to the development of the domestic aviation market. According to the OAG, a global leading air travel data and industry analysis provider, the planned capacity of China Southern Airlines ranks first in the world in the week of October 26, 2020.

Thirdly, we seized new opportunities in the changing civil aviation landscape. Noticing the surge in cargo demand during the epidemic, we reconfigured 8,430 passenger aircraft and repurposed them for cargo flights. With 3.8 billion RMB Yuan in revenue, we were able to increase our yearly cargo revenue by 72%.

In 2020, China Southern Airlines worked hard to provide convenient and innovative services through digital tools, creating a number of industry firsts. We were the first to launch a health declaration function on our APP, and the first to host livestream events via WeChat Applet. Such efforts not only contributed to the recovery of the tourism industry, but also enhanced our brand image. As the only representative of the aviation business, we were awarded “Pioneer in Benefiting People’s Livelihood through Digital Means” by the WeChat team.China Southern Airlines also adopted livestreaming as a new marketing tool. We presented six livestream campaigns on social media with more than 2 million views in total, generating millions of cash sales and mileage redemption. The vlog program to introduce our new boarding procedure and recognize the 10,000,000th passenger at the Beijing Daxing International Airport drew more than 1.04 million viewers and received extensive coverage from dozens of mainstream media including CCTV News, Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily, generating hundreds of millions of impressions.

Q2: How do you define ‘New Normal’ in the context of travel and tourism?

A: The only thing that doesn’t change is change itself. In 2020, we have all gained valuable experiences in dealing better with uncertainties and have learned to respond to market changes more actively and quickly. This mindset of constantly adapting and responding to changes has become the normal. China Southern Airlines will adhere to an innovation-driven strategy, continue to boost high-quality development through digital transformation, and move forward to our goal of building a world-class air transportation business.

Q3: What are your expectations for 2021? If you are asked to describe 2021 with only one word or phrase what would it be? Why?

A: “Tomorrow is a better day”

In the battle against the epidemic, the ongoing vaccination programs in various countries and regions around the globe bring us hope.

China is recognized as one of the first in achieving pandemic control and resuming its national economy. As the largest airline in China, China Southern Airlines also has the largest number of domestic flights relying on two major aviation hubs of Guangzhou in the south and Beijing in the north. Although the recovery of the international air-travel market still needs time, we can still manage to thrive by tapping deep into the domestic market. We are confident we can contribute to the developments in the new era by opening up the “main artery” of logistics and unblocking the “microcirculation” of the interflow of goods.

In 2021, China Southern Airlines will continue its focus on the operation of its Beijing hub and the formation of the joint hubs in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. We are confident we can exceed the expectations in the performance of our unique role in the integrated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area in service and support of such national strategies as the Belt and Road, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development, the construction of the Xiong’an New Area, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, the formation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta. We plan to seize the opportunity and vigorously promote our “Six Step-up Benefits for Passengers” at the Beijing Daxing International Airport and our “Greater Bay Express” services among other products.

Q4.: Do you have any message for the global tourism community as we progress through 2021?

A: We must stay true to ourselves and forge ahead, together let’s take giant steps for a better tomorrow.