China Southern's SOC Center Worth Its Weight in Gold, Computer Department Saves Airline 2,368 Tons of Oil

5 August 2002

China Southern Airlines (NYSE: ZNH) (HKSE: 1055), the largest airline in The People's Republic of China is pleased to announced that its now fully operational System Operational Control center is already "worth its weight in gold."

Based on the latest advanced computer and communications technology, the SOC system - as the operational heart of China Southern Airlines - provides for the centralized, real-time, scientific and standard control and management of the airline's overall flight operation, including flight schedule, dispatch, balance, crew management and other aspects of flight coordination. The SOC offers such functional modules as Movement Control; Flight Planning; Flight Tracking; Load Planning; Meteorological Function and Data Integration.

According to Mr. Hao Jian Hua, Chief Pilot, China Southern Airlines, the super high tech airline monitoring center at Baiyun International Airport that dispatches all of the airline's domestic and International routes - is paying off with major savings to China's largest airline.

The SOC system has helped China Southern Airlines make 1,623 flight adjustments resulting in a profit of RMB 31.46 Million (US $3.8 Million); the SOC's computerized flight planning has saved 2,368 tons of oil - worth more than RMB 6.63 Million (US $800,000) and the SOC has taken advantage of the price differences and planned for the loading of 28,860 tons of aircraft oil in Hong Kong, worth more than RMB 27 Million (US $3.2 Million). 

"Numbers don't lie. The SOC system is worth its weight in gold and has played a significant role in guaranteeing flight safety and operation control for our airline and our valued passengers," said Mr. Hao.

"The SOC system is packed with advanced technology that is widely used and accepted as the standard for the world's leading air carriers. China Southern Airlines invested more than US $130 Million (RMB 1Billion) to build its advanced flight operation control system - the first of its kind in China - with the key technological components introduced from America and the supporting facilities developed by its own staff," said Mr. Yan Zhiqing, President, Southern Airlines Group.

China Southern's System Operational Control center makes use of the SUN Enterprise 5000 high-performance two-tiered hot backup server, the safe and stable 64-bit operation system and the two fault-tolerant network architecture to ensure the continuous operation of the system. It also utilizes Oracle data base technology with SUN Solaris operation system to ensure the safe and reliability function of the SOC system's key data. Sabre (NYSE: TSG) was a primary provider of the SOC technology to China Southern Airlines.

The largest airline in The People's Republic of China for the past 23 years, China Southern Airlines connects more than 80 cities around the globe. Major business and vacation destinations served in China include: Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan and as well as International service, including: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Osaka, Penang, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.