Bavaria International Aircraft Leasing (BIAL) has leased new Boeing 737-700 to China Southern Airlines
	October 2005
	Bavaria International Aircraft Leasing (BIAL), which is part of the Munich-based Schörghuber Unternehmensgruppe (Schörghuber Corporate Group), took delivery of the aircraft from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing in the North American city of Seattle on 8 August. The following day pilots of China Southern Airlines flew it to the city of Urumqi in Western China on the Mongolian border, where the aircraft will be put into scheduled service on 13 August by the lessee, China Southern Airlines. In future the new Boeing will be used on Chinese domestic routes out of the China Southern Airlines’ Urumqi hub. Robert Salzl, Chairman of the Bavaria Executive Board, together with his colleagues Karsten Sensen and Dr. Peter Fiedler, is happy to note that “In China Southern Airlines we have a longstanding, sound partner with a particularly successful track record in the strong growth Asian aviation market”. In Autumn 2005 Bavaria International Aircraft Leasing expects to hand over another Boeing to the Chinese airline. This will then be the fourth aircraft in total for this client. Xinjiang - growth region rich in raw materials “Air travel is of particular importance in Western China. Over the last ten years it has experienced a boom to which as yet there is no end in sight. The airport at Urumqi is therefore an important pillar for China Southern Airlines” says Karsten Sensen, CEO of Bavaria International Aircraft Leasing. The booming Xinjiang region around Urumqi has extensive deposits of the raw materials iron ore, oil and gas, which is reflected in the high volume of traffic. The Chinese city of Urumqi is approximately four hours flying time from Peking. It was the headquarters of China Xinjiang Airlines (CXJ) that was taken over by China Southern Airlines at the end of 2003. China Southern is today the third largest and simultaneously the most profitable airline in China. Most successful medium range aircraft in the world The new generation of Boeing 737-700, with 149 seats and a cabin equipped with modern facilities, including innovative audio-video systems, is one of the most successful medium-range aircraft in the world. It is ideally suited for flights lasting from four to five hours, typical of the kind frequently flown by China Southern Airlines in the People’s Republic.