China Southern Airlines Co. plunged the most in more than a year in Hong Kong trading, leading a slump in shares of the nation’s carriers on concern an outbreak of bird flu may hurt travel demand.
China Southern, the country’s biggest domestic carrier, fell 8.5 percent, the most since Jan. 16, 2012, to HK$3.87, while Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. dropped the most in almost eight months. Shares in Air China Ltd., China Eastern Airlines Corp., Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Qantas Airways Ltd. also declined, causing the Bloomberg Asia Pacific Airlines Index to drop the most since May.
