China's Aviation Industry Embraces Digital Era

China's civil aviation industry is accelerating its advance into the digital era, with major players sending clear signals of new opportunities worldwide.

Already this year, China Southern Airlines has started online seat selection for all domestic flights and paperless e-boarding passes.

As well as being more convenient for passengers, it is a major step in responding to initiatives in environment-friendly travel. In the first week, about 75 percent of passengers on domestic routes opted to select their seats via digital devices, said China Southern.

Based in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, China Southern operates the largest fleet in Asia and the third biggest worldwide. In 2018, it recorded 139 million passenger journeys.

"The global aviation industry is at a crucial point. It is transitioning from an increment-driven market to one in which greater value and opportunities are being extracted from the existing market. And digitalization presents a crucial opportunity for China," said Yu Zhanfu, partner and vice president for Greater China at the Roland Berger consultancy.

Rising cost pressures and safety concerns are affecting the industry worldwide. Digitalization is seen as key to improving operational efficiency, upgrading services, and reshaping development modes.

"It is widely recognized that digitalization is a new value-growth point. Alongside dramatic growth in China's civil aviation sector, civil aviation authorities, domestic aviation manufacturers and technological giants are eying digitalization," said Xu Jun, vice president of Asia-Pacific OEMs of Honeywell Aerospace.

In addition, with the gradual opening of various policies of "the first year of air Internet", relevant airlines have begun to realize the benefits brought by innovation. On this basis, looking forward to 2019, the domestic airlines will accelerate the pace of progress in the field of inflight interconnection and achieve a greater leap, and in this process, the interconnection aircraft will also be destined to become the key to the transformation of digital airlines.

So connected aircraft is definitely a vital part of the rising trend in the commercial aviation industry. Considering the huge demand of Chinese aviation market, on April 17th-18th , 2019, The Connected Aircraft China Congress 2019 brings together both Chinese and overseas main airlines and companies from all across the aerospace and avionics industries to assess market lessons, potential demand and best practices in global connected solutions for the passenger, airline efficiency and cutting-edge services. And most importantly the Congress will offer a perfect opportunity to help the companies locate at the right picture and build a pleasant cooperation.

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