“Why are there so few international airlines in Guangzhou? Has China Southern Airlines taken over the whole market?”
That’s the first impression many travelers get while waiting at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.
The reality, however, is different.
According to Flight Master, during the week of August 14–22, a total of 70 airlines operated at the Baiyun airport, including 43 foreign carriers, making up 60% of the total—roughly the same proportion as Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
The issue is that China Southern alone accounts for 49.82% of the airport’s capacity, while all foreign airlines combined represent only about 12-13%. The number of international carriers is not small, but their presence is almost invisible against China Southern’s overwhelming scale.
By contrast, Hong Kong—with its strong transit advantage and more competitive fare structure—clearly holds greater appeal for foreign carriers.
As a result, in the overall strategic ranking of many international airlines, Guangzhou naturally falls behind Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
That said, China Southern has indeed carried the weight of southern China’s international aviation market almost single-handedly. In the first half of this year, the Baiyun airport handled 7.8592 million international passengers, a 23.86% increase compared with the same period last year.
