KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES AND CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES EXPAND FLIGHT OPERATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND THE NETHERLANDS

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and China Southern Airlines today signed a cooperation agreement which enables both airlines to expand their services between China and The Netherlands.

Starting winter 2001/02 KLM will add a third weekly round-trip flight between Amsterdam and Shanghai. In summer 2002 KLM intends to add a fourth weekly round-trip flight on the route between Amsterdam and Beijing. All KLM flights to China are operated with Boeing 747-400 aircraft. China Southern currently operates two weekly round-trip Boeing 777 flights between Beijing and Amsterdam.

Through codeshare and blocked space agreements, both airlines will be able to offer seats on each other’s flights under their own flight codes. KLM and China Southern have agreed to align their loyalty programs for their codeshare flights between the Netherlands and China. China Southern will transfer their flight handling at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to KLM. Both airlines have agreed to examine the potential for further cooperation.

China Southern Airlines is the largest airline of the People’s Republic of China. The Guangzhou-based airline carried almost 16.5 million passengers in calendar 2000. With a fleet of 98 aircraft operated on 341 routes – including 58 to international destinations – China Southern increased its net profit fivefold in 2000 to 502 million Yuan (US$60.6 million).

Amsterdam-based KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is Europe’s fourth largest airline, carrying 16.1 million passengers in fiscal 2000/01. KLM and its partners serve more than 400 cities in 78 countries on 6 continents. The Dutch carrier operates a fleet of 126 aircraft. In 2000/01 KLM’s net profit amounted to EUR 77 million (US$65,2 million).