In September 2026, China Southern Airlines experienced another notable shift in its fleet.
During the month, the airline took delivery of six aircraft, including two A321NEOs, three B737-8s and one C919.
At the same time, it removed five aircraft from service, comprising two A321s, two B787-8s and one B737-800.
With these additions and retirements combined, the carrier recorded a net increase of just one aircraft.
As of the end of September, China Southern Airlines operated a total of 978 transport aircraft.
Reduction of widebody jets: accelerated retirement of the B787-8
Among the five aircraft retired this time, the two B787-8s attracted the most attention.
As is well known, this continues China Southern Airlines' large-scale disposal of B787-8s this year.
As early as the end of February this year, China Southern Airlines sold 10 B787-8s in a package deal to AVOLON, a company under Bohai Leasing, for 3.964 billion yuan.
The deliveries were made in batches.
Why is China Southern Airlines so determined to phase out the B787-8?
The reason is simple: it is not economical.
The B787-8 is the smallest and lowest-capacity model in the Dreamliner family, and its cost per available seat kilometer (CASK) is the highest within the 787 family.
Based on data as of the end of September, China Southern Airlines' widebody fleet, including A350s, A330s, B787s and B777s, totaled 114 aircraft, accounting for only 11.7% of its total fleet of 978.
If the 19 B777 all-cargo freighters are excluded, China Southern Airlines has only 95 widebody passenger aircraft, representing less than 10%, the smallest widebody fleet among China's three major airlines.
Major reshuffle of narrowbody jets: accelerated retirement of older models
In contrast to the streamlining of its widebody fleet, China Southern Airlines' narrowbody fleet, including regional aircraft such as the Airbus 320 series, Boeing 737 series, C909 and C919, reached 864 aircraft, accounting for more than 90% of its passenger aircraft.
These narrowbody jets underpin China Southern Airlines' largest domestic market share.
The two A321s and one B737-800 retired in September generally had an age approaching 20 years.
With oil prices remaining high, these older A320CEO and B737NG series aircraft have seen fuel efficiency and maintenance costs become a burden dragging down per-seat revenue.
Decisively retiring them and freeing up valuable traffic rights and slots for newly introduced A321NEOs and B737-8s is an inevitable choice for China Southern Airlines to optimize its fleet age structure and reduce direct operating costs.
Changes among the three major manufacturers
If China Southern Airlines' 978 aircraft are viewed from the perspective of manufacturers, an extremely rare and finely balanced pattern emerges:
1. Airbus: 463 aircraft, accounting for 47.3%
Airbus has taken first place.
This includes 20 A350 series aircraft, 25 A330 series aircraft and 418 A320 series aircraft.
2. Boeing: 462 aircraft, accounting for 47.2%
Boeing has fallen from first to second place, only one aircraft behind Airbus.
This includes 35 B787 series aircraft, 34 B777 series aircraft and 393 B737 series aircraft.
3. COMAC: 53 aircraft, accounting for 5.4%
This includes 40 C909 series aircraft and 13 C919 series aircraft.
Airbus at 47.3% and Boeing at 47.2% are evenly matched!
COMAC's 5.4% share, or 53 aircraft, remains a minority for now, but its growth rate is astonishing.
In just one year, China Southern Airlines' C919 fleet has reached 13 aircraft, and its C909 fleet has also reached 40.
Domestically manufactured civil aircraft are steadily taking root in China Southern Airlines' fleet and are expected to rise further in the future.
This is also the hope of China's civil aviation industry.
Aircraft acquisition structure
As of the end of September, the acquisition methods for China Southern Airlines' 978 aircraft were as follows:
Self-owned: 395 aircraft, accounting for 40.4%
Finance leases: 265 aircraft, accounting for 27.1%
Operating leases: 318 aircraft, accounting for 32.5%
The author believes that an excessively high proportion of operating leases may have a certain adverse impact on costs, and China Southern Airlines needs to pay sufficient attention to this.
Retiring five aircraft in a single month shows that China Southern Airlines is making every effort to phase out inefficient aircraft assets!
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