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Air France, KLM, China Southern and Xiamen Air to form joint venture
July 20th 2018
SkyTeam carriers Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines this week announced they would merge their separate partnership agreements on China-Europe routes into a single joint venture (JV), with the exception of flights between Paris and Beijing. Read More »
The four airlines operate various routes from Amsterdam and Paris to China, including nonstop flights to Xiamen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan and Guangzhou.
Every year, Air France, KLM, China Southern and Xiamen Airlines carry approximately 1.3 million passengers between Europe and the Mainland on their joint-operated routes.
KLM president and CEO, Pieter Elbers, said: “In 2016, we celebrated 10 years joint venture between KLM and China Southern. Today, we merge the existing two joint ventures into one. I’m proud of this joint venture because it serves to further intensify Air France-KLM’s interests in China.”
Beyond the JV, the airlines closely cooperate in airport handling, catering and aircraft maintenance services. For example, Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance carries out engine maintenance for Xiamen Airlines’ B787 fleet.
KLM and China Southern Airlines have been operating a JV on the Amsterdam-Beijing service since 2006. In 2015, Xiamen Airlines joined this JV on the Amsterdam-Xiamen route. In 2010, Air France formed a partnership with China Southern Airlines to also create a JV on the Paris-Guangzhou route. These agreements will now be combined to form a single China-Europe JV.
