China’s Air Travel Recovery Shows Power of Vast Home Market

Domestic demand boosts carriers lacking international business
Air China, China Eastern and China Southern results due Friday

People walk through Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing on Aug. 25.Photographer: Yan Cong/Bloomberg

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By Will Davies (News)

August 26, 2020 at 9:00 PM UTC

Updated on

August 27, 2020 at 8:47 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

China’s biggest airlines could provide some much-needed encouragement for an aviation industry starved of good news when they report earnings later this week.

While the coronavirus will still likely saddle Air China Ltd., China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern Airlines Co. with losses for the latest quarter, financial statements from the so-called Big 3 may point to a nascent recovery in air travel thanks to demand in their vast domestic market.