Budget airline now China’s No. 1 as virus hurts big three

A budget airline little known outside China has emerged as the nation’s biggest carrier by international capacity after the novel coronavirus outbreak led established giants like Air China to slash operations. Shanghai-listed Spring Airlines' international seat capacity stood at 86,040 as of Feb. 10, down 5.9% from Jan. 20, according to OAG Aviation Worldwide. In that period, as concern grew about the spread of the virus, Air China slashed international capacity by 65% to 70,603. Cuts by China Southern and China Eastern were even more drastic, by more than 75% for both to 50,073 and 64,837, respectively, OAG said. “China’s three largest airlines have now cut international capacity by over half a million seats a week compared to four weeks ago,” said John Grant, a senior analyst at OAG. “We know from previous events of this nature that capacity and demand will return quickly but the numbers are certainly some of the most dramatic we have ever seen in any market,” he said.<br/>