China Southern Airlines has opened the door for partnership talks with Qantas and Virgin Australia.
The carrier said it was “very interested” in pursuing discussions with an Australian airline in a move to gain a stronger foothold in the domestic market.
Such a deal would also be “beneficial” for any airline seeking access to China, China Southern's president and chief executive Tan Wangeng insisted.
Tan said he has already laid the foundations for talks.
“I have expressed my interest through various Australian channels and I am now looking for a perfect opportunity to meet up with our Australian counterparts to talk about a cooperation possibility.” he said. “We will be very happy to cooperate with the local Australian carriers and we will in future be having more contact with them.
“If the Australian airlines are interested in working with China Southern I think it would be very beneficial for them especially if they are interested in tapping into the Chinese market, which is a huge one.”
