CHINA SOUTH AIR (ASX: 01055) has released its operational data for May 2026, revealing a decline in key passenger metrics.

The airline group's passenger capacity, measured in available seat kilometers, fell by 2.85% year-on-year. This decrease was driven by domestic and regional routes, which saw declines of 7.64% and 6.35% respectively, while international capacity grew by 10.55%.

Passenger traffic, measured by revenue passenger kilometers, decreased by 4.20% compared to the same period last year. Domestic and regional traffic fell by 8.84% and 0.53%, respectively, though international traffic increased by 9.00%.

The overall passenger load factor for the month was 84.69%, representing a drop of 1.19 percentage points from May of the previous year. Domestic and international load factors decreased by 1.13 and 1.18 percentage points, respectively, while the regional load factor improved by 4.69 percentage points.

Operational Details and Fleet Update

In its cargo operations, available freight tonne kilometers decreased by 2.40% year-on-year. Revenue freight tonne kilometers saw a marginal decline of 0.03%. The cargo load factor improved to 55.44%, an increase of 1.31 percentage points.

During the month, the group launched new key routes, including Hangzhou-Manila-Hangzhou (four flights weekly) and Chongqing-Manila-Chongqing (three flights weekly).

The company's fleet saw net growth, with the introduction of five new aircraft, comprising two B737MAX-8, two A321NEO, and one A320NEO aircraft. Two aircraft were retired: one B737-700 and one B787-8.

As of the end of May 2026, the total fleet size for the group stood at 969 transport aircraft.