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Hong Kong’s airlines face the prospect of further job cuts and even bankruptcies as anti-Beijing protests continue to deter tourists from the city, adding to the pressure on an industry already facing headwinds globally. Six months of anti-Beijing demonstrations have sent passenger traffic tumbling in Hong Kong, producing a cascade of profit warnings, flight cancellations and cost cuts at airlines. The fallout intensified this week as market leader Cathay Pacific Airways reported a fourth straight monthly drop in passenger traffic and Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said it seized 7 planes from Hong Kong Airlines. Things could get worse. Cathay may have to cut as many as 1,000 jobs as the violent unrest deters visitors from all the world, according to aviation consulting firm Endau Analytics. <br/>

China Southern Airlines has taken its partnership with British Airways up a notch, entering into a joint venture agreement with the carrier. The wide-ranging partnership will cover codesharing, frequent flyer programmes, as well as passenger benefits, says China Southern. At the onset, the codesharing agreement will cover 14 domestic and international UK and Chinese routes. BA will put its code on China Southern-operated flights between Guangzhou, Sanya, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and London. China Southern, meanwhile, will codeshare BA’s London-Beijing Daxing, as well as London-Shanghai Pudong flights. China Southern states that more routes will be added in the future. The latest joint venture builds on a 2017 agreement through which BA put its code on flights to 4 domestic points in China. <br/>