Beijing has reshuffled senior officials among China's three largest state-owned airlines as a prelude to an overhaul of the troubled industry and an expected wave of state-directed mergers.
China Eastern Airlines, the weakest of the big three carriers, said it would appoint Liu Shaoyong, chairman of China Southern Airlines, as a director of the company, replacing the current chairman, Li Fenghua.
China Eastern also said it would appoint Ma Xulun, a senior official at the country's flag carrier Air China, as president and executive director.
The man he replaces, Cao Jianxiong, would become deputy president of Air China's parent company in what appeared to be almost a straight swap, China Eastern officials said.
“We are all under the leadership of the party and it is up to the organisation department [of the Communist party of China central committee] to make these decisions,” one official from China Southern told the Financial Times.
The Communist party often rotates senior managers between large state-owned companies that are supposedly bitter competitors and such reshuffles have preceded big shake-ups in the Chinese telecoms and financial sectors in recent years.
The country's airline industry has been buffeted by falling passenger numbers and huge hedging losses caused by plummeting oil prices, with China Eastern the worst performer of the major carriers.
“By moving officials around, the government's intention is to improve the operating performance of China Eastern and pave the way for mergers among the state-owned and city-owned airlines,” said Osvert Tang, transport analyst at ABN Amro in Shanghai.
The government has signalled its intention to consolidate the industry and China Eastern has been talking with smaller rival Shanghai Airlines about a possible merger.
译文:
中国对三大航空公司进行高层调整
中国对三大国有航空公司高层做岗位调整，拉开了困境中的航空业全面大调整以及新一轮国家指示下合并的序幕。
三大航空公司中实力最弱的中国东方航空公司表示，将任命中国南方航空公司董事长刘绍勇为公司董事长，取代现任董事长李丰华。
东航也宣布将任命原中国旗舰航空公司国航的高官马须伦为总裁和首席执行官。
马须伦的上任将取代曹建雄，而曹建雄将成为国航母公司的副总裁。东航的官员说，这个调整几乎就是一个直接的职位对调。
南航的一名官员告诉金融时报：“我们都在中国共产党的领导下，这些都由（中共中央委员会）组织部门来做决定。”
中国共产党在经常在大型国有企业中轮换高层领导，而这些企业原本相互为竞争者。在近几年中国电信业和金融业大规模改组前，也进行过这样的轮职。
中国航空业遭受旅客数量减少以及油价大跌造成的巨额对冲亏损的冲击，其中东航是主要航空公司中业绩表现最差的航空公司。
荷兰银行(ABN Amro)驻上海的交通业分析师Osbert Tang表示：“政府调整高官职位的用意在于提高东航的营运业绩，为国有航空公司和市属航空公司的合并做好准备。”
政府已明确整合航空业的打算，东航现已经去较小规模的竞争者上海航空公司商讨可能的合并计划。