航数
| CA DATA
中国三分之二的客机处于停飞状态，原因是旅行限制以及冠状病毒疫情引发的恐慌使乘客人数锐减，迫使国内航空公司纷纷大幅缩减运营规模。
据中国民用航空局(CAAC)介绍，春节以来中国各航空公司累计旅客运输量为1021万人次，比去年春运同期下降70%。该局还表示，在此期间平均客座率不到45%。
大幅减少的旅客人数迫使各航空公司减少航线，并让飞行员休无薪假。据行业分析师们介绍，中国全国已有多达70%的飞机停飞。
分析师们补充说，尽管中国三大航空公司——中国国际航空公司(Air China)、中国东方航空公司(China Eastern Airlines)和中国南方航空公司(China Southern Airlines)——将能够度过难关，但如果疫情继续蔓延，规模较小、负债较多的航空公司将会相当脆弱。
我们处在未知水域，”
晨星(Morningstar)的Ivan Su表示
。“规模较大的航空公司，也就是中国政府支持的那些航空公司，将会挺过这一难关——只要疫情在未来一、两个月内得到遏制。”
两名航空业专家称，拥有多家航空公司的中国企业集团海航集团(HNA Group)也可能受到打击。
曾经大肆收购的海航近期一直在出售资产以减少巨额债务，但是据
中国民用航空局下属中国民航科学技术研究院一位不愿透露姓名的主管透露
，新冠疫情给该集团带来了“相当大的亏损压力”。
这位主管表示，除非乘客数量在未来三个月恢复正常，否则该集团可能会因其高杠杆率而遇到财务困难。他补充道，在那种情况下，三大航空公司可能会选择性接手海航的部分资产。
两名知情人士表示，
该公司已经让飞行员休无薪假。“这在很大程度上是由于海航严峻的财务状况。国内其他航空公司还能坚持一阵，”其中一人表示。
飞机租赁公司Avolon的首席执行官道姆纳尔•斯莱特瑞(Dómhnal Slattery)
近日表示，新冠疫情已迫使中国各航空公司为各自的机队进行再融资。
瑞银(UBS)亚洲交通运输业研究主管连沛堃(Eric Lin)表示
，取决于新冠疫情持续多长时间，规模较小的航空公司将面临现金流问题。“终局可能是一场政府纾困，”他警告称。
中国一些省市当局在大约20家地方航空公司拥有股份，各方预计，如果这些航空公司遇到困难，地方政府将对其进行救助。然而，这将给已经在艰难减轻债务负担的地方政府带来巨大财务压力。
北京方面已经提出了一系列针对航空公司的减负措施，包括免征增值税和免征航空公司应缴纳的民航发展基金（这些资金用于机场和其他基础设施建设）。
这些措施也许有助于降低成本，但在大量取消航班的背景下是微不足道的。
中国廉价航空公司春秋航空(Spring Airlines)的一位高管表示
，减税措施尚不足以弥补1月20日至2月10日取消航班所造成的损失的三分之一。“我们在为最糟糕的情况做准备，”他表示。
Two-thirds of Chinese airlines’ planes grounded over coronavirus
Two-thirds of China’s passenger planes have been grounded as travel restrictions and fear sparked by the coronavirus outbreak batter passenger numbers and force the country’s airlines to scale back operations dramatically.
The total number of passengers carried by Chinese airlines from the end of the lunar new year break on January 27 to February 12 was 10.21m, down 70 per cent compared with the same period a year ago, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Less than half of all seats were filled on an average flight during the period, according to the CAAC.
Collapsing passenger numbers have forced airlines to slash routes and put pilots on unpaid leave. Across China up to 70 per cent of aircraft are grounded as a result, according to industry analysts.
While China’s big three carriers — Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines — will be able to weather the storm, smaller and more indebted airlines will be vulnerable should the virus continue to spread, analysts added.
“We are in uncharted waters,” said Ivan Su at Morningstar. “The bigger airlines, the Chinese state-backed ones, will get through this, as long as the virus gets contained within the next month or two.”
HNA Group, a Chinese conglomerate that owns several airlines, may also be hurt, according to two aviation experts.
The once highly-acquisitive group has been disposing of assets in an effort to reduce its vast debt pile and the coronavirus has put “considerable lossmaking pressure” on the company, according to a director who declined to be named at the China Civil Aviation Science Technology Academy, a think-tank affiliated with the Civil Aviation Administration.
Unless passenger numbers return to normal in the next three months, the group could experience financial difficulties because of its high leverage, the director said. In that event, the big three carriers might pick off parts of the HNA portfolio, he added.
The company has already placed its pilots on unpaid leave, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. “This is largely due to HNA’s tough financial position. Other domestic airline companies can still hang on for a bit,” said one.
HNA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chinese carriers have already been forced to refinance their fleets as a result of the virus outbreak, according to Dómhnal Slattery, chief executive of jet leasing company Avolon.
Eric Lin, head of research for UBS China, said that smaller airlines will face cash flow issues depending on how long the coronavirus crisis lasts. “The endgame could be a government bailout,” he warned.
