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China Southern Airlines Company Limited

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FY2016 Annual Report · China Southern Airlines Company Limited
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ABOUT US

China Southern Airlines Company Limited, a member of the 

SKYTEAM, with its headquarter located in Guangzhou, and 

the logo of which is a red kapok on the blue vertical 

stabilizer, ranked first among all Chinese airlines in terms of 

its largest fleet, most developed route network, largest 

passenger capacity.

By the end of the reporting period, the Company had a fleet 

of 702 passenger and cargo aircrafts, ranking first in Asia 

and fourth worldwide in terms of fleet scale, and is the first 

airlines that operating both Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 

throughout the world.

CONTENTS

  ABOUT US

2  Definitions 

3 

Important Information 

4  Corporate Profile

5  Corporate Information

8  Company Business Summary

  OPERATING RESULTS

  16  Principal Accounting Information and Financial Indicators

  18  Summary of Operating Data

  22  Summary of Fleet Information

  30  Highlights of the Year

  32  Management Discussion and Analysis

  68  SIGNIFICANT EVENTS 

  CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

  76  Report of Directors

  88  Changes in the Share Capital, Shareholders’  

  Profile and Disclosure of Interests

  92  Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management  

  and Employees

 112  Corporate Governance Report

 119  CORPORATE BOND

 123  RISK MANAGEMENT AND INTERNAL CONTROL 

 126  SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

  FINANCIAL REPORT

  Financial Statements Prepared under International 

  Financial Reporting Standards

 132 

Independent Auditor’s Report

 140  Consolidated Income Statement

 141  Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

 142  Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

 144  Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

 145  Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

 146  Notes to the Financial Statements

 232  SUPPLEMENTARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 236  FIVE YEAR SUMMARY

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
002

Unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms should have the following meanings in this report:

Company, CSA, China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines Company Limited

Group

CSAHC

Xiamen Airlines

Guizhou Airlines

Zhuhai Airlines

Shantou Airlines

Chongqing Airlines

Henan Airlines

SAGA

Hebei Airlines

Jiangxi Airlines

Finance Company

SAIETC

GSC

SACM

SPV

SSE

China Southern Airlines Company Limited and its subsidiaries

China Southern Air Holding Company

Xiamen Airlines Company Limited

Guizhou Airlines Company Limited

Zhuhai Airlines Company Limited

Shantou Airlines Company Limited

Chongqing Airlines Company Limited

China Southern Airlines Henan Airlines Company Limited

Southern Airlines General Aviation Co., Ltd.

Hebei Airlines Company Limited

Jiangxi Airlines Company Limited

Southern Airlines Group Finance Company Limited

Southern Airlines Group Import and Export Trading Company

China Southern Airlines Group Ground Services Co., Ltd., formerly known as China 
Southern Airlines Group Passenger and Cargo Agent Company Limited

Southern Airlines Culture and Media Co., Ltd.

China Southern Airlines No. 1 Lease (Tianjin)

Shanghai Stock Exchange

Stock Exchange

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited

NDRC

CAAC

National Development and Reform Commission

Civil Aviation Administration of China

Articles of Association

Articles of Association of China Southern Airlines Company Limited

Listing Rules

Model Code

Corporate Governance Code

The Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong 
Kong Limited

The Model Code for Securities Transactions by Directors of Listed Issuers as set 
out in Appendix 10 of The Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock 
Exchange of Hong Kong Limited

Corporate Governance Code as set out in Appendix 14 of The Rules Governing 
the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited

SFO

Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the laws of Hong Kong)

Available Seat Kilometers or “ASK”

the number of seats made available for sale multiplied by the kilometers flown

Available Tonne Kilometers or “ATK”

the tonnes of capacity available for the transportation of revenue load (passengers 
and cargo) multiplied by the kilometers flown

Revenue Passenger Kilometers or “RPK” i.e. passengers traffic volume, the number of passengers carried multiplied by the 

kilometers flown

Revenue Tonne Kilometers or “RTK”

i.e. total traffic volume, the load (passengers and cargo) in tonnes multiplied by the 
kilometers flown

Revenue Tonne Kilometers – cargo or 
“RFTK”

i.e. cargo and mail traffic volume or revenue tonne kilometers for cargo, the load 
(cargo) in tonnes multiplied by the kilometers flown

Revenue Tonne Kilometers – passenger

the load (passenger) in tonnes multiplied by the kilometers flown

Aircraft Utilization Rate

Passenger Load Factor

Revenue flight hours

Overall Load Factor

Yield per RPK

Yield per ASK

Yield per RFTK

Flight hours that aircraft can service during specified time

RPK expressed as a percentage of ASK

Flighting hours of commercial flying

RTK expressed as a percentage of ATK

revenue from passenger operations divided by RPK

revenue from passenger operation divided by ASK

revenue from cargo operations divided by RFTK

Definitions003

I. 

II. 

The board of directors (the “Board”) and the supervisory committee (the “Supervisory Committee”) of the Company and 
its directors (the “Directors”), supervisors (the “Supervisors”) and senior management warrant the truthfulness, accuracy 
and completeness of the content contained in this annual report, and which does not contain inaccurate or misleading 
statements or have any material omission, and jointly and severally accept full legal responsibility.

This annual report was considered and approved at the 14th meeting of the 7th session of the Board of the Company 
on 30 March 2017. 11 Directors were required to attend the meeting and 9 of them attended in person. Director Yang 
Li Hua did not attend the meeting because of business reason, and authorized Director Yuan Xin An to attend and vote 
on her behalf. Director Liu Chang Le did not attend the meeting because of business reason, and authorized Director 
Ning Xiang Dong to attend and vote on his behalf.

III. 

KPMG issued the independent auditor’s report with unqualified audit opinion to the Company.

IV. 

V. 

Mr.  Wang  Chang  Shun  (Chairman  and  the  responsible  person  of  the  Company),  Mr.  Tan  Wan  Geng  (person  in 
charge  of  accounting,  Vice  Chairman  and  president  of  the  Company),  Mr.  Xiao  Li  Xin  (the  responsible  person  of  the 
accounting department, Chief Account and Chief Financial Officer of the Company) warrant the truthfulness, accuracy 
and completeness of the financial statements contained in this annual report.

The  Board  recommends  the  payment  of  a  dividend  of  RMB1  (inclusive  of  applicable  tax)  per  10  shares  for  the  year 
ended  31  December  2016,  totalling  approximately  RMB982  million  based  on  the  Company’s  9,817,567,000  issued 
shares. A resolution for the dividend payment will be submitted for consideration at the 2016 annual general meeting 
of the Company. The dividend will be denominated and declared in RMB and payable in RMB to holders of A shares, 
and in HKD to holders of H shares. The profit distribution proposal is subject to shareholders’ approval at the general 
meeting,  and  if  approved,  the  dividend  is  expected  to  be  paid  to  the  shareholders  by  the  Company  on  or  before 
Thursday, 31 August 2017.

VI. 

Forward-looking statements included in this report, including future plans and development strategies, do not constitute 
a guarantee of the Company to investors. Investors shall be aware of the risks of investment.

VII.  During the reporting period, neither the controlling shareholder of the Company, nor any of its connected persons has 

utilized the non-operating funds of the Company.

VIII.  During  the  reporting  period,  the  Company  did  not  provide  external  guarantees  in  violation  of  any  specified  decision-

making procedures.

IX. 

During the reporting period, the Company did not have any material risks. The Company has detailed potential risks in 
this report. Please refer to paragraph XXI “Risk Factors Analysis” under “Management Discussion and Analysis”.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Important Information004

The Group is one of the largest airlines in the PRC.

In  2016,  the  Group  ranked  first  among  all  Chinese  airlines  in  terms  of  its  fleet, 
safety  records,  network  and  volume  of  passenger.  As  of  31  December  2016,  the 
Group had a fleet of 702 passenger and cargo aircraft, including the Boeing 787, 
777 and 737 series, as well as the Airbus 380, 330 and 320 series, ranking first in 
Asia. The general strategic goal of the Group is to establish itself into an influential 
international airlines with an extensive route network; and has formed a developed 
network  covering  China,  and  the  rest  of  Asia,  and  effectively  connected  Europe, 
America, Australia and Africa. As at 31 December 2016, the Group operated more 
than  2,000  flights  daily  flying  to  over  224  destinations  in  over  40  countries  and 
regions  around  the  world,  providing  up  to  300,000  seats  to  the  market.  Through 
close cooperation with members from the SKYTEAM, the Group connected 1,062 
destinations in 177 countries and regions in the world. In 2016, the Group’s volume 
of passenger traffic amounted to nearly 115 million, which has put the Group in a 
leading position among Chinese airlines for 38 consecutive years, and maintained 
its top position in Asia.

Based  in  Guangzhou,  the  Group  has  15  branches,  including  Xinjiang,  Beifang, 
Shenzhen,  Beijing,  Heilongjiang,  Jilin,  Dalian,  Hubei,  Hunan,  Hainan,  Guangxi, 
Shanghai,  Xi’an,  Taiwan  and 
Sichuan  and  6  holding  civil 
aviation subsidiaries, including 
Xiamen 
Zhuhai 
Airlines, 
Airlines,  Guizhou  Airlines, 
Shantou  Airlines,  Chongqing 
Airlines  and  Henan  Airlines. 
The  Group  has  set  up  SAGA 
in  Zhuhai  and  established 
25  domestic  offices  in  cities 
including  Hangzhou,  Qingdao 
and Lhasa. It also established 
68  overseas  offices  in  cities 
including  Tokyo,  Singapore, 
San  Francisco,  New  York, 
Toronto, 
Paris, 
Roman,  Moscow,  Sydney, 
Auckland  and  Nairobi.  Apart 
from  the  above,  the  Company 
has equity interests in Sichuan 
Airlines Co., Ltd.

London, 

Corporate Profile005

Chinese Name
中國南方航空股份有限公司

Chinese Short Name:
南方航空

English Name:
China Southern Airlines Company Limited

English Short Name:
CSN

Legal Representative:
Wang Chang Shun

Board and Company Secretary:
Xie Bing

Securities Affairs Representative:
Xu Yang

Shareholder Enquiry:
Company Secretary office

Telephone:
+86-20-86124462

Fax:
+86-20-86659040

E-mail:
ir@csair.com

Address:
278 Ji Chang Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, PRC

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Corporate Information006

Registered Address:
Unit  301,  3/F,  Office  Tower  Guanhao  Science  Park  Phase  I, 
12  Yuyan  Street  Huangpu  District,  Guangzhou,  Guangdong 
Province, PRC

Designated Website for Information  
Disclosure (A Shares):
www.sse.com.cn

Place of Business:
278 Ji Chang Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, PRC

Designated Website for Information  
Disclosure (H Shares):
www.hkexnews.hk

Place of Business in Hong Kong:
Unit B1, 9th Floor, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong

Annual report Available for Inspection:
Company Secretary office

Website of the Company:
www.csair.com

Authorized Representative under  
the Listing Rules Stock Exchange:
Tan Wan Geng and Xie Bing

Controlling Shareholder:
China Southern Air Holding Company

Principal Bankers:
China Development Bank
Agricultural Bank of China
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China
Bank of China
China Construction Bank

Designated Newspapers for Information  
Disclosure (A Shares):
China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News, Securities 
Times

Place of Listing of A Shares:
Shanghai Stock Exchange

Short Name of A Shares:
南方航空

Stock Code of A Shares:
600029

A Share Registrar:
China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited 
Shanghai Branch
Floor 36, China Insurance Building, 166 Lu Jia Zui East Road, 
Shanghai, PRC

Place of Listing of H Shares:
The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited

Corporate Information007

Short Name of H Shares:
China Southern Airlines Company Limited

Stock Code of H Shares:
01055

H Share Registrar:
Hong Kong Registrars Limited
17M Floor, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, 
Hong Kong

Place of Listing of N Shares:
New York Stock Exchange

Short Name of N Shares:
China Southern Air

Stock Code of N Shares:
ZNH

N Share Registrar:
BNY Mellon Shareowner Services
P.O. Box 30170, College Station,
TX 77842-3170, USA

Domestic Legal Adviser:
Z&T Law Firm

Overseas Legal Adviser:
DLA Piper Hong Kong

Domestic Auditor:
KPMG Huazhen LLP

Address of Domestic Auditor:
8th Floor, KPMG Tower
Oriental Plaza
1 East Chang An Avenue
Beijing, China

Signing Accountants of Domestic Auditor:
Wang Jie, Yin Jie

Overseas Auditor:
KPMG

Address of Overseas Auditor:
8th Floor, Prince’s Building
10 Chater Road
Central, Hong Kong

Corporate InformationChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016008

I. 

The Principle Business and Operating Mode of the Company and the 
Industry Summary during the Reporting Period

(I) 

Principle Business

The  scope  of  business  of  the  Company  includes:  (1)  provision  of  services  of  domestic,  regional  and  international 
scheduled  and  unscheduled  air  transportation  of  passenger,  cargo,  mail  and  baggage;  (2)  provision  of  services  of 
general  aviation;  (3)  provision  of  services  of  aircraft  maintenance;  (4)  acting  as  an  agency  of  domestic  and  foreign 
airlines; (5) offering airlines catering services; (6) conducting other aviation and relevant businesses, including advertising 
for such businesses; (7) provision of services of insurance and agency: personal accident insurance; (8) provision of 
airlines  ground  services;  (9)  aviation  training;  (10)  asset  leasing  services;  (11)  project  management  and  technical 
consultancy services; (12) sales of aviation equipment; (13) travel agency business; (14) reservation agency business; 
(15) merchandise retail and wholesale; (16) mobile operation agency business; (17) e-commerce business, all subject 
to approval by registration authorities of the Company.

(II) 

Industrial Position and Competitive Advantages

During  the  reporting  period,  the  demand  for  aviation  travel  continued  to  grow  in  the  whole  world.  The  number  of 
passengers  carried  by  the  air  transport  industry  in  the  world  in  2016  amounted  to  3.7  billion,  reaching  a  record  high 
figure.  According  to  the  regular  transportation  data  for  global  aviation  in  2016  released  by  International  Air  Transport 
Association (“IATA”), passengers’ demand for aviation services in the world raised by 6.3% as compared with that of last 
year, a growth rate higher than the average annual growth rate of 5.5% over the past decade. The air traffic capacity 
in 2016 increased by 6.2% as compared with that of 2015, and the average passenger load factor in 2016 reached a 
record high of 80.5%. During the reporting period, despite foreign exchange losses arising from significant depreciation 
of  RMB,  domestic  airlines’  profits  have  increased  as  compared  with  that  of  last  year  due  to  a  historical  low  oil  price, 
huge demand in the domestic aviation market, and rapid growth of outbound travel. According to CAAC, the total traffic 
volume of the industry in 2016 amounted to 96.09 billion tonne-kilometres, up by 12.8% as compared with that of last 
year, the number of passengers carried was 488 million, up by 11.8% as compared with that of last year, cargo traffic 
volume was 6,669,000 tonnes, up by 6.0% as compared with that of last year, and the passenger load factor was 82.7%, 
achieving the highest level in recent years.

Company Business Summary009

During the reporting period, the Group ranked first among all Chinese airlines in terms of its largest fleet, most developed 
route network, largest passenger capacity and best safety record. By the end of the reporting period, the Group had a 
fleet of 702 passenger and cargo aircraft, with a net year-on-year growth of 35 aircraft, ranking first in Asia. The general 
strategic goal of the Group is to establish itself as an influential international airlines with an extensive route network; and 
formed a developed network covering China, and the rest of Asia, and effectively connected Europe, America, Australia 
and Africa; the Group’s volume of passenger traffic amounted to nearly 115 million, which has put the Group in a leading 
position among Chinese airlines for 38 consecutive years, and also maintained its top position in Asia; and the Group 
continued  to  keep  the  best  safety  records  among  Chinese  airlines  by  successively  realizing  17  aviation  safety  years. 
The Group is the largest air carrier on the China – Australia and New Zealand, China – South Asia, China – Central Asia 
routes. It is also the largest air carrier along the “One Belt and One Road”.

The Group has the following major competitive advantages: (1) Outstanding scale and network advantages. The Group 
has a fleet of over 700 advanced aircraft, an intensive route network, and passenger traffic volume of 115 million. Its sales 
network spreads all over the world’s five continents, and it has important influence on the market. (2) Strong technical 
strength. The Company has its own flight college in Australia, which enables it to cultivate pilots independently. Owing 
to its leading aircraft maintenance level, the Company has the ability to maintain and repair major models of its aircraft 
in  service.  The  Company  is  in  a  leading  position  in  terms  of  informatization  technology  construction  and  the  “China 
Southern e-travel” project has been fully launched. (3) An excellent brand image. We spare no efforts in building the 
“China  Southern  e-travel”  project  by  promoting  comprehensive  application  of  internet  in  our  306  passenger  service 
contact  points  in  order  to  make  our  services  more  convenient.  We  constantly  improve  our  meals  and  entertainment 
services  provided  on  the  plane,  and  the  number  of  Sky  Pearl  Club  membership  exceeds  30.1  million.  Initial  success 
has been achieved in our marketing activities in the international market and our brand influence in the domestic and 
overseas market continues to increase.

Company Business SummaryChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016010

(III)  Challenges

The major challenges faced by the Group include:

1. 

Exchange rate fluctuation

In 2016, affected by a variety of factors such as decelerated economic growth in China, appreciation of USD and 
interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve, the exchange rate of RMB against USD depreciated significantly by 
6.39%. It is anticipated that the US dollar index will remain strong while RMB will subject to depreciation pressure 
in  2017.  Despite  that  the  Group  has  reduced  the  risk  relating  to  exchange  rate  fluctuation  by  increasing  the 
percentage  of  RMB-denominated  liabilities,  the  Company,  in  consideration  of  the  industrial  characteristics,  will 
still maintain a certain level of USD-denominated liabilities in the long term. Therefore, the Company’s operating 
results will be influenced by the exchange rate fluctuation to a certain extent.

2. 

Rebounding crude oil prices

Affected by reduction of output by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, international crude oil prices 
experienced a rebound, which in turn significantly increased the airlines’ fuel costs. It is expected that international 
crude oil prices will likely experience a steady rise due to gradually recovering global demand in 2017. As fuel 
cost constitutes the Company’s main operating costs, rising fuel prices will increase fuel cost which have a direct 
impact on the results performance of the Company.

3. 

Rapid expansion of high-speed rail network

As at the end of the reporting period, China’s high-speed railway traffic mileage has reached 22,000 kilometers, 
and the impact of high-speed railway on the aviation market has expanded into China’s western regions from the 
central and eastern regions. It is anticipated that China will build “eight horizontal and eight vertical” high speed 
railway corridors by 2020 and the improving high speed railway network will have further impact on the growth 
rate  of  air  travellers.  The  operating  performance  of  the  Company’s  routes  which  overlap  with  the  high  speed 
railway corridors (especially routes with a distance of less than 800 kilometers) will be affected in the future.

Company Business Summary011

(IV)  Profit Model, Operating Characteristics and Development Strategies

China  Southern  Airlines  established  the  general  strategic  goal  of  becoming  an  influential  international  airlines  with  an 
extensive network in 2005, which requires the Company to transform from a point-to-point liner airlines to network-based 
airlines. In order to achieve this goal, China Southern Airlines gave priority to building of hub-based route network while 
promoting the strategic transformation of “three network building” (namely hub-based route network, marketing network 
and after-sales service network). On one hand, the Company accelerated the launch of routes from China to Australia, 
Southeast  Asia,  Central  and  West  Asia,  Europe  and  US,  in  order  to  rebalance  the  Company’s  focus  on  the  domestic 
and international markets; on the other hand, the Company proactively built Guangzhou and Beijing as its “dual cores”, 
in an effort to improve its network and improve its service efficiency. Accordingly, remarkable achievements has been 
made in hub construction, for example, the percentage of international routes to the Company’s total routes have been 
increasing  rapidly,  its  route  network  has  became  more  “simplified”,  and  passengers  have  been  provided  with  more 
transferring opportunities.

Meanwhile,  China  Southern  Airlines  has  always  been  attaching  great  importance  to  consolidating  and  expanding  its 
advantage of numerous domestic routes while focusing on “point to point” routes. A “hub + point-to-point” operational 
mode with distinguished features which mainly based on the domestic market while partially focus on the international 
market and highlights mutual support between and overall connection of domestic and international market has been 
formed. This mode also laid solid foundation for building of an airlines of international standard operating with a large-
scale network. Hub-based route network, the core part of the route network of China Southern Airlines, pays a decisive 
role in the stabilization and development of overall network; “point-to-point” route network (with each base as a point), 
a  beneficiary  support  for  the  hub-based  network,  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  expansion  of  network  coverage  and 
improvement of hub-based route network.

In the long run, by adhering to the keynote of “Making Steady Progress” and the strategic plan of “Safety First”, as well as 
the strategic guidance of “Leading Market”, China Southern Airlines will make positive efforts in building Guangzhou and 
Beijing as its “dual cores”. By firmly following the strategic direction of “standardization, integration, intelligentization and 
globalization”, the Company will build a market-oriented decision-making system and establish an advanced business 
mode, thus forming a hub network which could access the whole world, highlights mutual complementation of domestic 
and international market and mutual support among each hub base, building an industry-leading comprehensive aviation 
travel service platform and developed a high-quality product service system. Through targeted marketing activities and 
effectively improving its organization efficiency and operating efficiency, the Company will become an airlines of good 
safety record with a large-scale network, strong profitability and excellent brand image.

By the end of the “13th Five-year Plan” period, the Group will develop into a large international airlines with an extensive 
network and a fleet of exceeding 1,000 aircraft. The annual passenger volume, cargo and mail volume will reach 160 
million and more than 2 million tonnes.

Company Business SummaryChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016012

(V)  Security Ensurence Input

During  the  reporting  period,  China  Southern  Airlines  incorporated  “Safety  First”  as  strategy  into  its  “13th  Five-year” 
development plan. The Company adhered to ensure security in different stages, and accurately grasped the complex 
and  changeable  security  situations.  The  Company  held  eight  Safety  Management  Committee  meetings  and  seven 
security video meetings, and organized two “safety training workshops” and three training classes for the training of 366 
person/time in rotation. The Company made great efforts to create a good and stable security environment by constantly 
conducting various activities including safety and health cup completion, safe production month, promotion of security 
books in cabin, and 100-day work safety competition.

During the reporting period, the Company issued a total of 87 safety tips/warnings, actively promoted voluntary reporting 
and  collected  voluntary  4,469  reports.  The  Company  prepared  12  safety  risk  management  analysis  reports  on  the 
monthly basis, and organized 18 special risk assessments for new routes and new technologies. The Company issued 14 
warning coursewares by summarizing and drawing lessons learned from typical events, and fully enabled the alcohol test 
system to improve the safety margin. The Company exercised 157 supervisions and 10 safety audits, and organized 5 
special governance activities and 2 security regulations. The Company rewarded 260 employees who made contribution 
to or proposed recommendations for safety, and made 7 safety appointments for serious accountability of violation of 
rules and regulations and failure to keep faith.

By  the  end  of  the  reporting  period,  the  Group  continued  to  keep  the  best  safety  records  among  Chinese  airlines  by 
successively realizing 17 aviation safety years.

II.  Material Changes to Major Assets of the Company during the Reporting 

Period

During the reporting period, the Group introduced 53 aircraft (including 29 under operating lease, 22 under finance lease and 2 
purchased), disposed 18 aircraft (including 11 under operating lease and 7 purchased) and purchased 13 aircraft which were 
under finance lease. As at the end of the reporting period, the number of aircraft of the Group has reached 702, representing a 
net increase of 35 from the end of the previous year. During the reporting period, due to the increase of aircraft under finance 
lease and purchased, fixed assets of the Group increased by RMB12,046 million.

For  details  of  the  material  changes  to  major  assets  of  the  Group  during  the  reporting  period,  please  refer  to  the  assets  and 
liabilities information in the paragraph “Management Discussion and Analysis”.

III.  Analysis on Core Competitiveness during the Reporting Period

The Company’s five core competitivenesses has begun to take shape, including its powerful and improving scale and network 
advantages,  its  hub  operation  and  management  capability  with  Guangzhou  as  the  core,  its  resources  interoperability  under 
the matrix management mode, its service brand influence and its advanced information technology.

Company Business Summary013

(I) 

(II) 

(III) 

(IV) 

(V) 

Powerful  and  improving  scale  and  network  advantages.  The  Company  had  the  largest  fleet  in  China  and  advanced 
fleet  performance.  It  is  the  only  airlines  in  China  operating  A380,  and  has  mature  experience  in  operating  both  A380 
and B787. The Group has the most intensive network by forming a developed route network covering China, and the 
rest  of  Asia,  and  effectively  connecting  Europe,  America,  Australia  and  Africa.  Meanwhile,  with  the  largest  volume  of 
passenger traffic, China Southern Airlines is the first airlines in China with its amount of traffic exceeding 100 million. At 
present,  the  Group  has  15  branches,  including  Xinjiang,  Beifang,  Shenzhen  and  6  holding  civil  aviation  subsidiaries, 
including Xiamen Airlines, Shantou Airlines, Guizhou Airlines, Zhuhai Airlines, Chongqing Airlines and Henan Airlines. The 
establishment of branch may better play various local advantages, and transport transfer passengers for the hub. The 
Group has set up 25 domestic offices, and established 68 overseas offices in all continents. Therefore, the Company 
has formed a comprehensive sales network with branches, subsidiaries, domestic offices and overseas offices.

The  hub  operation  and  management  capability  with  Guangzhou  as  the  core  was  strengthened  continuously.  China 
Southern Airlines’ strategic transformation mainly focused on developing transit and links with international long-distant 
flights  in  hubs,  thereby  established  a  new  profit  model  and  development  mode,  and  gradually  became  an  airlines 
with  strong  international  network.  In  2016,  the  Company  further  improved  its  international  layout.  We  launched  new 
international flights from Guangzhou to Toronto, Adelaide, etc, and put more flights to North America, Australia and New 
Zealand. The year-on-year growth of international transit ratio and transit ratio of the Sixth Freedom Traffic Right in the year 
reached 19% with 3,450,000 passengers and 50% with 782,000 passengers respectively. The proportion of international 
seat  kilometer  amount  to  thirty  percent.  Through  years  of  efforts,  the  effect  of  transformation  has  become  more  and 
more significant, and international routes achieved another profit year in 2016 and made an important contribution to 
the Company’s good performance.

Resources interoperability under the matrix management mode. With its scale of having multiple bases, hubs, models 
and  fleet,  we  adopted  a  matrix  management  mode  based  on  “horizontal  integration  and  resources  sharing”,  which 
did  not  only  unified  the  headquarters’  control  over  resources,  policy  and  operation  standards  but  also  demonstrated 
branches’  and  subsidiaries’  motivated  participation  in  security,  marketing  and  service  innovation,  making  good  use 
of the Company’s advantages in scale and network. At present, the matrix management mode has become a normal 
management practice, under which core resources such as the capacity, routes and slots were methodically coordinated 
and the synergy among supporting resources such as marketing, flights, maintenance and service continued to rise. In 
the future, the Company will further strengthen innovation in systems and mechanisms to enhance efficiency of resource 
allocation, system coordination and add value to the advantages it currently enjoys.

Striving for world-class brand service. In order to create world-class service brand, China Southern Airlines continuously 
improved its service quality, and its brand influence was gradually enhanced at China and world by brand benchmarking 
the world-class level on SKYTRAX. The Company continued to improve the quality of in-flight meals and entertainment, 
and  its  overall  service  level  maintained  a  steady  rise  through  the  gradual  introduction  of  in-flight  WIFI,  improvement 
of  membership  service,  establishment  and  perfection  of  closed-loop  management  mechanism.  The  Company  was 
the first among PRC airlines to open a green passage for transshipment of human donated organs and introduce “in-
flight medical volunteers” service. In 2016, the Company was awarded No. 13 of “The World’s Most Loved Airlines” on 
SKYTRAX, ranking first among airlines in Mainland China.

Comprehensive  and  advanced  information  technology.  China  Southern  Airlines  always  attaches  great  importance  on 
corporate  information  technology  construction,  and  with  the  strongest  R&D  capacity  on  information  technology  in  the 
industry. The Company continuously improved the new official website, mobile APP, Wechat platform, B2B and other IT 
systems, with its passenger marketing, operation control, service, aviation safety, freight, enterprise management and 
public platform becoming mature increasingly. The information technology construction greatly supported the strategy 
transformation and business development of the Company, and was widely accepted in the industry. The public Wechat 
account of China Southern Airlines was awarded “The Most Influential New Media Account of Central SOEs in 2016”. 
The  Company  had  an  information  technology  team  composed  of  over  1,000  experts,  which  laid  solid  foundation  for 
relevant research and development. In 2016, we implemented the construction of “China Southern e-travel” e-commerce 
platform, spared no effort to create whole-process and one-stop service platform at the mobile client, and fully promoted 
the  “Internet+”  strategy.  In  addition,  China  Southern  Airlines  is  committed  to  providing  excellent  “door-to-door”  travel 
service for passengers, so as to achieve the target of “A Single Device For Everything “.

Company Business SummaryChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Time
5 : 30

Place

Maintenance Base

China Southern Airlines –  
Safety First

Throughout the year, the number of passengers transported 

by us reached 115 million. We have ensured 17 consecutive 

years of aviation safety and continued to keep the best safety 

records among Chinese airlines.

016

Principal Accounting Information

Principal Accounting Information

Operating revenue (RMB million)

2012

99,514

2013

98,547

2014

108,584

2015

111,652

2016

114,981

Profit attributable to equity 

shareholders of the Company 
(RMB million)

Total assets (RMB million)

Earnings per share attributable to  

equity shareholders of the 
Company (RMB/share)

2,619

142,454

1,986

165,207

1,777

189,688

3,736

185,989

5,044

200,442

0.27

0.20

0.18

0.38

0.51

2016201520142013201299,51498,547108,58420,00040,00060,00080,000100,000120,000140,000111,652114,981Operating revenue(RMB million)201620152014201320121,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0002,6191,9861,7775,0443,736Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company(RMB million)2016201520142013201250,00075,000100,000125,000150,000175,000200,000142,454165,207189,688185,989200,442Total assets(RMB million)201620152014201320120.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.270.200.180.380.51Earnings per share attributable toequity shareholders of the Company(RMB/share)Principal Accounting Information and Financial Indicators 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
017

Principal Accounting Information

Operating revenue

Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company

2016 
RMB million

2015 
RMB million

Increase/
(decrease) %

114,981

5,044

111,652

3,736

2.98

35.01

Net assets attributable to equity shareholders of the Company

Total assets

31 December 
2016 
RMB million

31 December 
2015 
RMB million

43,456

200,442

39,045

185,989

Increase/
(decrease) %

11.30

7.77

Principal Financial Indicators

Principal Financial Indicators

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

2016 
RMB/share

2015 
RMB/share

Increase/
(decrease) %

0.51

0.51

0.38

0.38

34.21

34.21

Principal Accounting Information and Financial IndicatorsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
018

Item

Traffic

Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Revenue tonne kilometers (RTK) (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

RTK – Passenger (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

RTK – Cargo and mail (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Passengers carried (thousand)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

For the year ended 31 December

2016

2015

Increase/
(decrease)
%

144,979.57

138,769.05

3,083.71

58,042.36

3,526.99

47,291.67

206,105.64

189,587.71

14,551.20

292.46

9,542.90

24,386.56

12,794.43

270.59

5,099.18

18,164.20

1,756.77

21.87

4,443.72

6,222.36

98,463.43

2,340.68

13,814.52

13,916.26

331.50

8,140.24

22,388.00

12,253.49

309.91

4,162.66

16,726.06

1,662.78

21.59

3,977.58

5,661.95

95,121.91

2,571.15

11,728.96

114,618.63

109,422.02

4.48

(12.57)

22.73

8.71

4.56

(11.78)

17.23

8.93

4.41

(12.69)

22.50

8.60

5.65

1.30

11.72

9.90

3.51

(8.96)

17.78

4.75

2016201520142013201250,000100,000150,000200,000135,535148,417166,629189,588206,106RPK(million)201620152014201320125,00010,00015,00020,00025,00016,16017,46919,78022,38824,387RTK(million)Summary of Operating Data 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
019

Item

Cargo and mail carried (thousand tonnes)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Capacity

Available seat kilometres (ASK) (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Available tonne kilometres (ATK) (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Available tonne kilometres (ATK) – Passenger Traffic (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Available tonne kilometres (ATK) – Cargo and mail (million)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

For the year ended 31 December

2016

2015

Increase/
(decrease)
%

1,083.68

19.73

509.14

1,612.55

1,030.10

19.18

462.27

1,511.55

179,655.46

172,104.99

4,193.19

72,143.29

4,762.25

58,749.02

255,991.94

235,616.26

20,740.93

491.23

13,748.02

34,980.18

16,168.99

377.39

6,492.90

23,039.28

4,571.93

113.84

7,255.13

20,055.09

562.65

11,586.92

32,204.66

15,489.45

428.60

5,287.41

21,205.46

4,565.65

134.05

6,299.51

11,940.90

10,999.21

5.20

2.87

10.14

6.68

4.39

(11.95)

22.80

8.65

3.42

(12.69)

18.65

8.62

4.39

(11.95)

22.80

8.65

0.14

(15.08)

15.17

8.56

2016201520142013201250,000150,000100,000200,000250,000300,000169,569186,800209,807235,616255,992ASK(million)201620152014201320125,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00023,06524,95228,45432,20534,980ATK(million)Summary of Operating DataChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
020

Item

Load factor

Passenger load factor (RPK/ASK) (%)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Overall:

Total load factor (RTK/ATK) (%)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Overall:

Yield

Yield per RPK (RMB)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Overall:

Yield per RFTK (RMB)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Overall:

Yield per RTK (RMB)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Overall:

For the year ended 31 December

2016

2015

Increase/
(decrease)
%

80.7

73.5

80.5

80.5

70.2

59.5

69.4

69.7

0.53

0.72

0.40

0.50

1.15

3.91

1.14

1.16

5.45

7.92

2.94

4.50

80.6

74.1

80.5

80.5

69.4

58.9

70.3

69.5

0.55

0.71

0.45

0.53

1.23

4.49

1.19

1.21

5.65

7.89

3.18

4.78

0.12

(0.81)

/

/

1.15

1.02

(1.28)

0.29

(3.64)

1.41

(11.11)

(5.66)

(6.50)

(12.92)

(4.20)

(4.13)

(3.54)

0.38

(7.55)

(5.86)

Summary of Operating Data 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
021

Increase/
(decrease)
%

(3.49)

6.80

3.55

(12.35)

18.98

6.15

1.28

(8.28)

14.74

2.39

For the year ended 31 December

2016

3.04

2015

3.15

1,504.31

1,408.50

1,833.17

39.26

502.91

2,375.34

835.10

18.95

105.06

959.11

1,770.25

44.79

422.69

2,237.73

824.53

20.66

91.56

936.75

Item

Cost 

Operating cost per ATK (RMB)

Flight Volume

Kilometers flown (million)

Hours flown (thousand)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Number of flights (thousand)

Domestic

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

International

Total:

Summary of Operating DataChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
022

As at 31 December 2016, the size and structure of fleets and the delivery and disposal of aircraft of the Group were as follows:

Number of 
aircraft under 
operating 
lease

Number of 
aircraft under 
finance lease

Number 
of aircraft 
purchased

Delivery 
during the 
reporting 
period

Disposal 
during the 
reporting 
period

Total Number 
of aircraft at 
the end of 
the Reporting 
Period

(unit: number of aircraft)

Models

Passenger aircraft

Airbus

A380

A330-300

A330-200

A321

A320

A319

A320-200NEO

Boeing

B787-8

B787-9

B777-300ER

B777-200

B757-200

B737-800

B737-700

B737-300

Other

EMB190

Passenger Aircraft 
  Sub-total

Freighter

B747-400F

B777-200F

Freighter Sub-total

0

8

2

22

40

23

2

2

0

0

0

0

121

4

0

20

244

0

0

0

2

13

11

35

39

1

0

14

1

9

0

0

63

7

0

4

3

1

3

32

54

13

0

0

0

1

4

10

85

34

3

2

199

245

0

5

5

2

7

9

0

3

0

10

5

0

2

0

1

3

0

0

29

0

0

0

53

0

0

0

53

0

0

0

0

0

6

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

5

0

0

18

0

0

0

18

5

22

16

89

133

37

2

16

1

10

4

10

269

45

3

26

688

2

12

14

702

Total

244

204

254

Summary of Fleet Information023

204(29.1%)244(34.8%)254(36.1%)2016Composition of Fleet in the Form of Possession in 2016(Number of aircraft)Under operating leasePurchasedUnder finance lease614(89.2%)74(10.8%)2016Narrow-body aircraftComposition of Passenger Aircraft in 2016(Number of aircraft)Wide-body aircraft14(2.0%)18(2.6%)10(1.4%)14(2.0%)167(23.8%)28(4.0%)451(64.2%)2016Guizhou AirlinesFleets of Airlines of the Group in 2016(Number of aircraft)The CompanyShantou AirlinesXiamen AirlinesHenan AirlinesZhuhai AirlinesChongqing AirlinesSummary of Fleet InformationChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016024

2262445010015020025024325419820420152016Structure of Introduced Fleets from 2015 to 2016 (Number of aircraft)PurchasedUnder finance leaseUnder operating lease14028042056070065368814142015201620152016Structure of Fleets from 2015 to 2016 (Number of aircraft)Passenger aircraftFreighter12024036048060058661467742015201620152016Structure of Passenger Aircraft from 2015 to 2016 (Number of aircraft)Wide-bodypassenger aircraftNarrow-bodypassenger aircraftSummary of Fleet Information025

As at 31 December 2016, the fleets of the airlines of our Group were as follows:

Company

Xiamen 
Airlines

Shantou 
Airlines

Zhuhai 
Airlines

Guizhou 
Airlines

Chongqing 
Airlines

Henan 
Airlines

Number of aircraft

451

167

14

10

18

14

28

Note:  As at the end of the reporting period, the total number of aircraft of Xiamen Airlines included the number of aircraft of it’s controlling 

subsidiaries, namely Hebei Airlines and Jiangxi Airlines.

As at 31 December 2016, indicative data of the Group were as follows, including average age, layout of each model of aircraft, 
volume of passenger transported and passenger load factor:

Average age 
(Year)

Layout (Seat)

Volume of 
Passenger 
transported

Passenger 
load factor 
(%)

Total load 
factor (%)

Daily 
utilization 
rate (Hour)

Revenue 
flight hour 
(Hour)

Models

Passenger aircraft

Airbus

A380

A330-300

A330-200

A321

A320

A319

Boeing

B787

B777-300ER

B777-200

B757-200

B737-800

B737-700

B737-300

Other

4.6

4.4

7.5

6.5

7.4

10.2

2.4

1.6

20.5

15.5

5.0

10.3

18.7

506

275/284

218/258

179/195

152/166

122/138

1,101,064

4,442,021

2,650,569

16,371,965

21,774,692

5,512,997

228/237/287

309

360

2,101,368

1,614,657

1,126,384

174/180/192/196/197

1,570,676

159/161/164/170

46,701,924

120/128

126

6,022,451

426,336

87.5

82.6

82.6

82.8

81.1

79

79.1

86.3

84.5

75.9

78.6

76.5

78.7

69.2

62.2

56

72.4

76.3

65.7

58.9

57.8

69.7

66.1

71

65.7

76.6

EMB190

4.5

98

3,201,521

77

70.8

Freighter

B747-400F

B777-200F

Average

14.4

4.3

6.6

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

/

80.51

65.8

83.8

69.72

9.8

12.3

11.7

9.4

9.6

9.3

11.5

13.1

8.7

7.9

9.3

9

8

8.6

0.9

10.7

9.53

18,023

92,067

68,338

280,893

459,156

137,294

67,859

42,204

12,716

34,830

867,712

156,415

8,744

81,656

651

46,780

/

Summary of Fleet InformationChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016026

As at 31 December 2016, the Group had following registered fleets by the form of possession:

Model

Airbus 380 Series

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

Model

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

3

2

/

5

4.8

4.3

/

4.6

10.13

9.43

/

9.85

11,122

6,901

/

18,023

Airbus 330 Series

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

Model

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

Model

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

Model

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

4

24

10

38

5.3

4.6

8.7

5.8

12.46

12.95

10.32

12.41

18,246

106,806

35,368

160,420

Airbus 320 Series

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

99

75

87

261

10.1

3.7

7.7

7.5

9.31

9.65

9.48

9.46

337,222

233,495

295,397

866,114

Boeing 787 Series

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

/

15

2

17

/

2.6

1.4

2.4

/

11.58

11.27

11.54

/

59,595

8,252

67,847

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

Boeing 777 Series

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

12

14

/

26

10.4

1.7

/

5.7

9.99

12.31

/

11.19

43,863

57,830

/

101,693

Summary of Fleet Information 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
027

Model

Boeing 757 Series

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

Model

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

Model

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

10

/

/

10

15.5

/

/

15.5

7.90

/

/

7.90

28,927

/

/

28,927

Boeing 737 Series

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

122

70

125

317

7.9

4.8

4.6

6.1

9.04

9.47

9.34

9.25

394,981

242,659

387,301

1,024,942

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

Model

Form of Possession

Number of aircraft

Boeing 747 Series

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

2

/

/

2

14.4

/

/

14.4

0.89

/

/

0.89

652

/

/

652

EMB190 Series

Average age 
(Year)

Daily utilization rate 
(Hour)

Revenue flight hour 
(Hour)

Owned

Finance lease

Operating lease

Total/Average

2

4

20

26

2.3

4.7

4.7

4.5

9.62

9.20

8.35

8.58

7,043

13,463

61,139

81,645

Summary of Fleet InformationChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
028

During the period from 2017-2019, the plans for delivery and disposal of aircraft of the Group are as follows:

2016

2017

2018

2019

As at the 
end of the 
period

Delivery

Disposal

Estimated 
data at the 
end of the 
period

Delivery

Disposal

Estimated 
data at the 
end of the 
period

Delivery

Disposal

Estimated 
data at the 
end of the 
period

(unit: number of aircraft)

Models

Passenger aircraft

Airbus

A380

A330-300

A330-200

A321

A320

A319

A320neo

A321neo

A319neo

Boeing

B787-8

B777-300ER

B777-200

B757-200

B737-800

B737-700

B737-300

B787-9

B737-8max

Other

EMB190

7

10

5

5

8

41

3

7

3

6

2

6

3

7

3

5

22

16

89

133

37

2

0

0

16

10

4

10

269

45

3

1

0

26

Passenger Aircraft Sub-total

688

86

30

Freighter

B747-400F

B777-200F

Freighter Sub-total

Total

2

12

14

702

0

86

0

30

5

29

16

99

135

31

7

8

0

16

10

2

4

307

38

0

4

7

26

744

2

12

14

758

5

3

12

30

10

18

2

10

78

19

0

78

0

19

5

34

16

99

5

34

16

99

7

128

11

117

31

10

20

0

16

10

0

4

327

38

0

14

25

26

803

2

12

14

817

31

16

34

2

16

10

0

4

1

326

38

0

21

53

26

848

2

12

14

862

6

14

2

7

28

57

12

0

57

0

12

Summary of Fleet Information029

201920182017201620156677027582004006008001,000817862Estimated Number of Aircraft at the end of the Five-Year Period20192018201720162015246810128.995.238.007.785.51Estimated Growth Rate of Number of Aircraft at the end of the Five-Year Period (%)Summary of Fleet InformationChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016030

2016

JAN

MAY

i n 

the 

to  provide 

On  1  May  2016, 
the  Company 
in-flight 
announced 
In ter net  servi ce 
fl i ght 
CZ301/302  between  Guangzhou 
and  Sydney.  It  is  the  first  time  that 
China  Southern  Airlines  provides 
inter 
Internet  service 
in-flight 
continental  flight  after  several  flights 
in  Beijing-Guangzhou  route.

in 

On 24 May 2016, the Company held 
a  press  conference  in  Guangzhou 
to  open  a  green  passage 
for 
transshipment  of  human  donated 
organs. The Company is the first PRC 
airlines  to  publicly  respond  to  the 
requirement under Notice Regarding 
the Establishment of Green Passage 
for Transshipment of Human Donated 
issued  by  six 
Organs 
ministries and commissions including 
National  Health  and  Family  Planning 
Commission,  and  to  open  a  green 
passage for transshipment of human 
donated organs.

jointed 

On  10  May  2016,  the  Company  held 
the  largest  scale  of  public  open  day 
up  to  now.  On  the  same  day,  a  total 
of  nearly  1,000  persons  from  about 
300  families  and  200  media  went  to 
Guangzhou  HQ  and  15  branches 
nationwide  of  the  Company  to  visit 
the  aircraft  maintenance,  operation 
control departments.

JUN

In  the  summer  vacation  of  2016, 
the  Company  enriched  the  meals  in 
economy class by designing 45 dishes 
with  local  flavors  nationwide,  enabling 
to 
in  different 
passengers 
taste  featured  meals  in  combination  of 
Cantonese dishes with local cuisine.

regions 

On  27  January  2016,  An  Airbus 
A330 numbered CZ3071 took off from 
Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport 
fully loaded with over 250 passengers, 
marking 
launching  of 
Shenzhen-Sydney route.

the  official 

APR

Aerospace 

On  4  April  to  7  April  2016,  the 
Maintenance 
9th 
Competition was held in Dallas US. 
As the only PRC team participating 
in  the  competition,  China  Southern 
Airlines  delegation  ranked  first  in 
the  “International  Group”,  third  in 
the  “Commercial  Airlines  Group”, 
and fourth in the “Overall Ranking”.

AUG

On  25  August  2016,  the  Company 
and  DangDang 
jointed  started 
“Enjoy Reading (閱享南航)” project, 
and  led  to  provide  the  reading 
service of “goods books in lounges 
and  cabins 
(好書進休息室、進客
艙)” among Chinese airlines.

Highlights of the Year031

SEP

OCT

In  October  2016, 
the  Company 
and  Tencent  jointly  introduced  the 
function  of  “Scanning”  bar  code  on 
boarding  card  through  Wechat.  By 
scanning  the  bar  code  on  boarding 
card,  passengers  will  be  informed 
time, 
of 
boarding  time,  arrival  time,  boarding 
gate,  weather  conditions  in  place  of 
departure  and  destination,  and  other 
information related to the flight.

the  planned  departure 

NOV

On 17 November 2016, the Company announced 
that it would take the lead in joining the big data 
open  cloud  platform  project  of  the  Ministry  of 
Transport at the “Internet + Travel” branch forum 
of the Third World Internet Conference. In addition, 
the Company would carry out the national “Internet 
+” strategy and create “China Southern e-travel” 
to  provide  one-stop  comprehensive 
travel 
information  and  transportation  services.  China 
Southern Airlines was the first aviation enterprise 
joining the big data open cloud platform project 
of the Ministry of Transport.

On 2 September 2016, A new Airbus 
A321  numbered  B-8640  smoothly 
the  Guangzhou  Baiyun 
landed 
International  Airport,  becoming  the 
700th  member  of  China  Southern 
Airlines  fleet.  The  fleet  scale  rose  to 
rank  fourth  worldwide  in 
IATA  ranking,  breaking  the 
operation 
record  among 
PRC airlines.

DEC

On 8 December 2016, the Company 
formally  launched  the  direct  flight 
between  Guangzhou  and  Toronto. 
It  is  the  second  direct  flight  from 
Guangzhou  to  Canada  after  the 
flight from Guanzghou to Vancouver.

On 12 December 2016, the Company launched the 
direct  flight  from  Guangzhou  to  Adelaide.  It  is  the 
sixth direct flight to Australia, and the first air bridge 
connecting  Mainland  China  with  South  Australia. 
The successful operation of this flight marks that the 
Company’s network has covered major cities in five 
Australian states, further expanding the Company’s 
pioneering  advantages  as  the  largest  carrier  in 
Sino-Australian market.

Highlights of the YearChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016032

Management Discussion 
and Analysis

During the reporting period, the Group proactively 
established  a  “Sunshine  China  Southern”,  made 
more  clear  the  strategy  and  direction  of  the 
development of the Company, actively propelled 
the  integration  of  resources  and  coordination  of 
strategies  and  spared  no  efforts  on  enhancing 
its  brand  influence  and,  as  a  result  of  which,  its 
comprehensive  competitive  strength  increased 
significantly. 

033

Wang Chang Shun
Chairman

I.  BUSINESS REVIEW
In  2016,  as  the  global  economy  struggled  to  recover,  the  economic  growth  of  China 
slowed down, but had showed a trend of “moderate but stable and sound momentum of 
development”. The global civil aviation industry was in strong demand, and continued to 
benefit from the positive effects brought about by the global low oil prices, but was also 
faced with various challenges, including the slow recovery in oil prices and the escalation 
of geopolitical risks. The civil aviation industry in China maintained a double-digit fast 
growth but was also faced with the challenges, such as increased market competition, 
impact brought by the operations of high-speed railways on the civil aviation industry in 
China, exchange losses and etc. Adhering to the strategy of steady development, the 
Group proactively establishes a “Sunshine China Southern” and conducts every work 
with a criteria featured with “strict, practice, prudent, accurate, incorrupt”, such that the 
“cohesiveness, combat power, executive power, creativity and immunity” of staff of the 
Group strengthened to a further extend. We reinforced deeply the construction of safety 
management system, made more clear the strategy and direction of the development 
of  the  Company,  actively  propelled  the  integration  of  resources  and  coordination  of 
strategies and spared no efforts on enhancing its brand influence and, as a result of 
which, its comprehensive competitive strength increased significantly.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis034

THE GROUP 
REALIZED

2,375,000

safe flight hours

The Group continued to 
keep the best safety 
records among Chinese 
airlines

THE OPERATING 
DATA OF THE 
COMPANY HAS BEEN 
AT THE BEST LEVEL 
IN THE RECENT

5 years

Safety Operation
We have firmly established the concept of sustainable safety 
and  constantly  strengthened  the  development  of  safety 
responsibility  system  to  further  refine  the  preventive  and 
controlling  measures  for  safety  incidents  so  that  the  risk 
management has become more effective. During the reporting 
period,  the  Group  realized  2,375,000  safe  flight  hours, 
accumulated  18,095,000  safe  flight  hours  and  12,312  hours 
of general aviation service, and maintained over 17 years of 
aviation  safety  and  22  years  of  aviation  security.  The  Group 
continued  to  keep  the  best  safety  records  among  Chinese 
airlines.

We seized the incremental resources of time slots in the key 
domestic  market  and  fully  mobilized  the  transport  capacity, 
to  effectively  improve  the  utilization  rate  of  flight  crew; 

strengthened  the  internal  and  external  cooperation  for  more 
efficient  allocation  of  resources  and  enhanced  operational 
efficiency.  The  operating  data  of  the  Company  has  been  at 
the  best  level  in  the  recent  five  years.  In  addition,  we  had 
launched a total of 156 flight delay warnings during the year, 
and  successfully  managed  the  extensive  delays  resulting 
from severe weather, including thunderstorms and typhoons, 
achieving an industry-leading flight on-time rate.

Fleet Development
We conducted an in-depth research on market demands and 
integrated with the Company’s strategies to optimize the fleet 
structure.  During  the  reporting  period,  the  Group  introduced 
53 aircraft and retired 18 aircraft. The Company entered into 
an  agreement  with  Boeing  Company  to  purchase  12  787-9 
aircraft  from  Boeing  Company.  Moreover,  Xiamen  Airlines 

Management Discussion and Analysis035

THE GROUP 
BECAME THE FIRST 
DOMESTIC 
AIRLINES WHICH 
OWNED OVER 

700aircraft

and continued to 
rank first in Asia.

THE GROUP 
RECRUITED 

2,333

flight personnel

661 pilots (including 88 
foreign pilots), 1,672 
cabin attendants

entered into an agreement with Boeing Company to purchase 
6 787-9 aircraft and 10 737-800 aircraft from Boeing Company. 
As at the end of the reporting period, the Group became the 
first  domestic  airlines  which  owned  over  700  aircraft,  and 
continued to rank first in Asia.

Fully integrating the fleet development plan, the Group actively 
expanded its flight team. During the year, the Group recruited 
661 pilots (including 88 foreign pilots), 1,672 cabin attendants.

Network Hub
We  continued  to  optimize  the  route  network  and  reinforce 
the  construction  of  the  hub,  so  as  to  propel  the  strategic 
transformation.  In  the  domestic  market,  we  focused  on 

increasing  the  number  of  main  flight  routes,  and  both  the 
number of core flight routes and capacity concentration kept 
a  steady  upward  trend  in  the  international  market,  we  fully 
grasped  the  growth  opportunities  and  further  improved  the 
international  route  network.  During  the  reporting  period,  the 
Company launched new flight routes of Guangzhou – Toronto, 
Guangzhou  –  Adelaide,  Shenzhen  –  Sydney,  Shenzhen  – 
Wuhan  –  Dubai  and  etc.,  consolidating  its  position  as  the 
largest  air  carrier  of  Chinese  Mainland  to  Australia  and  New 
Zealand, Southeast Asia and Central Asia regions. As Xiamen 
Airlines  launched  new  flight  routes  of  Xiamen  –  Melbourne, 
Xiamen – Vancouver, Xiamen – Shenzhen – Seattle and etc., 
the internationalization process accelerated at the same time.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis036

THE NUMBER OF 
TRANSIT PASSENGERS 
IN HUBS REACHED

4,650,000

 representing an increase 
of 11% as compared with 
the same period of the 
previous year

THE INTERNATIONAL 
(INCLUDING HONG KONG, 
MACAU AND TAIWAN) 
REVENUE PASSENGER 
KILOMETERS 
PERCENTAGE REACHED

32.4%

representing an increase 
of 2.8 percentage points 
as compared with the 
same period of the 
previous year

We  grasped  the  opportunities  arising  from  the  release  of 
time  slots  in  Guangzhou  hub  to  improve  the  layout  of  key 
routes network and focused on increasing the number of main 
lines  in  Beijing  hub  and  the  investment  into  highly  profitable 
routes;  and  launched  Urumchi  hub  by  leveraging  the  “One 
Belt One Road” strategy to increase investments into domestic 
base  market,  with  a  view  to  consolidating  our  position  in 
the  domestic  main  lines.  During  the  reporting  period,  the 
Company’s  construction  of  hubs  had  achieved  remarkable 
results. During the year, the number of transit passengers in 
hubs  reached  4,650,000,  representing  an  increase  of  11% 
as  compared  with  the  same  period  of  the  previous  year;  of 
which,  the  number  of  international  transit  passengers  was 
3,450,000,  representing  an  increase  of  19%  as  compared 
with the same period of the previous year, and the number of 
transit passengers through the traffic under the Sixth Freedom 

Traffic  Right  reached  782,000,  representing  an  increase  of 
50% as compared with the same period of the previous year. 
During the reporting period, the international (including Hong 
Kong,  Macau  and  Taiwan)  revenue  passenger  kilometers 
percentage of the Company reached 32.4%, representing an 
increase of 2.8 percentage points as compared with the same 
period of the previous year.

Marketing
We  continued  to  optimize  and  adjust  the  flight  schedules 
and gave priority to those routes with economy-effectiveness 
when  allocating  transportation  capacity  and  hot  time  slots 
resources, in an effort to match capacity with market, continue 
to  improve  passenger  load  factor  and  record  consecutive 
profits for the international routes. We utilized the advantage 

Management Discussion and Analysis037

THE TOTAL NUMBER 
OF SKY PEARL CLUB 
MEMBERSHIP 
EXCEEDED  

30.10

million

THE AUXILIARY 
REVENUE OF THE 
COMPANY AMOUNTED 
TO RMB 

550

million, representing an 
increase of 179.1% as 
compared with the 
same period of the 
previous year

of scale and grasped the peak demand, thus the revenue of 
the peak seasons, including the Spring Festival and summer 
holidays,  recorded  an  increase  of  3.45%  as  compared  with 
the  same  period  of  the  previous  year.  Furthermore,  we 
participated  in  important  domestic  and  overseas  exhibitions 
to enhance cooperation with governments and organizations 
in overseas key markets and continuously expanded the high-
end  channels,  and  the  international  brand  awareness  of  the 
Company  had  been  further  enhanced.  At  last,  we  optimized 
freighter  operation  and  network  layout,  and  the  freighter 
operation had recorded profits for three consecutive years.

We  vigorously  promoted  the  value-added  products,  such 
as  on-board  upgrade  in  the  flight  and  pre-payment  for  seat 
selection,  as  a  result  of  which,  the  auxiliary  revenue  of  the 
Company  amounted  to  RMB550  million,  representing  an 

increase  of  179.1%  as  compared  with  the  same  period  of 
the previous year. The number of members maintained rapid 
growth  and  the  total  number  of  Sky  Pearl  Club  membership 
amounted to 30.10 million, growing by 19.9% as compared with 
the same period of the previous year; of which, the frequent 
flyers  contributed  nearly  40%  of  our  total  revenue,  and  the 
“Member’s  Day”  theme  activities  had  attracted  over  2.12 
million new members. We expanded the key client accounts 
business in a steady manner and had 355 designated client 
accounts and 45 global client accounts. We had established 
the  concept  of  “Excellent  Service  is  the  Best  Marketing 
Strategy  (優質服務是最好的營銷)”  in  our  Customer  Service 
Center of “95539”, and the sales through it exceeded RMB3 
billion and the customer satisfaction rate reached 97.47%

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis038

THE COMPANY 
RECORDED AN 
ELECTRONIC DIRECT 
SALES OF RMB

28.84

billion

representing an increase 
of 57.6% as compared 
with the same period of 
the previous year

THE COMPANY WAS 
RANKED 

13 th

in the “Most Loved 
Airlines” on 
SKYTRAX website, 
which was the highest 
ranking among the 
Chinese airlines 

E-commerce
During  the  reporting  period,  the  Company 
actively  promoted  the  “Internet  Plus”  strategy 
and  spared  no  effort  to  build  the  “China 
Southern e-Travel”, so as to facilitate extensive 
integration  between 
Internet  and  306 
the 
passenger service contact points and increase 
the  passengers’  loyalties  through  improving 
service convenience, and thus accelerating the 
intelligent strategy of the Company. At present, 
there  are  71  functions  in  the  China  Southern 
Airlines  App,  including  class  upgrade  at  the 
gate,  airport  navigation  and  refund  insurance 
and etc.; and such App has been downloaded 
and  activated  for  13.78  million  times  and  has 
over  13.35  million  followers  in  social  media, 
ranking  first  in  the  civil  aviation  industry  in 
China.  Meanwhile,  the  Company  was  among 
the first to take part in “the Open Cloud Platform 
for Big Data of Integrated Transport Travel (綜
合交通運輸出行大數據開放雲平台)”  organized 
by  the  Ministry  of  Transport  and  also  entered 
into  a  strategic  cooperation  agreement  with 
Baidu  Company  to  facilitate  the  construction 
of the “China Southern e-Travel”.

We innovated our marketing activities and put 
much  effort  into  social  media  marketing,  and 
our e-commerce marketing capability had been 
enhanced  significantly.  During  the  reporting 
period,  the  Company  recorded  an  electronic 
direct  sales  of  RMB28.84  billion,  representing 
an  increase  of  57.6%  as  compared  with  the 
same period of the previous year. In addition, 
the  sales  generated  from  mobile  application 

Management Discussion and Analysis039

Product Service
During the reporting period, the Group continued to increase 
efforts  input  into  the  research  and  development  of  product 
and service control, and its overall service level was elevated 
in a steady way. The Company was ranked 13th in the Most 
Loved  Airlines  on  SKYTRAX  website,  which  was  the  highest 
ranking among the Chinese airlines. Moreover, Xiamen Airlines 
won  the  “China  Quality  Award  (中國質量獎)”,  the  highest 
recognition of quality conferred by the government, becoming 
the first service enterprise to win such award, as well as the 
only  Chinese  airlines  to  do  so.  Adhering  to  the  concept  of 
“people-oriented,  life  above  all  (以人為本、生命高於一切)”, 
the  Company  took  the  lead  in  opening  a  green  passage  for 
transportation  of  human  donated  organs  in  the  civil  aviation 
industry.  During  the  year,  it  successfully  transported  living 
donor organs for 248 times with a success rate of 100%, and 
launched  a  flight  medical  volunteer  project  with  the  number 
of  medical  volunteers  reaching  2,419,  providing  medical 
assistance to 3,027 flights.

and social media amounted to RMB4.86 billion and RMB0.55 
billion, respectively, representing an increase of 142.3% and 
262.3%,  respectively,  as  compared  with  the  same  period  of 
the  previous  year.  The  “Official  Account”  in  WeChat  (微信公
眾號) of the Company has been awarded “the Most Influential 
New Media Account for Central Enterprise in 2016 (2016年中
央企業最具影響力新媒體賬號)”,  leading  the  industry  in  terms 
of traffic volume, number of users and user engagement.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis040

THE RMB FINANCING 
RATIO HAD 
INCREASED FROM 
30.69% TO

51.16%

PROFIT ATTRIBUTABLE 
TO EQUITY 
SHAREHOLDERS OF THE 
COMPANY

5,044

(RMB million)

representing an increase of 
35.01% as compared with  
the same period of the 
previous year

With the goal of providing intelligent and convenient services, 
the Company introduced in-flight WIFI service in some flights 
and  some  value-added  products,  such  as  self-service 
return  and  re-scheduling,  pre-order  excess  baggage  fees 
and  payment  for  seat  selection  and  etc.,  and  continued  to 
promote online ordering products for the first- and business-
class. The Company has been able to deliver online booking 
of  transit  hotels,  and  has  completed  nearly  15,000  bookings 
during  the  year.  In  addition,  it  designed  and  developed  45 
new  meals  with  local  flavors  and  increased  significantly  the 
number of Hollywood movies to more than 130 movies in total 
per  month.  Xiamen  Airlines  completed  a  full-scale  upgrade 
of  its  intercontinental  routes  service  and  carefully  tailored  its 
special service products, such as providing special Chinese 
white  tableware  for  the  first-  and  business-class  under  the 
theme activity of “Up in the Air with Egret, Chinese White (鷺
翔雲端‧中國白)”,  creating  “six  exquisite  meals  (六精六美餐
食)”  together  with  international  brands  and  creating  themed 
flights,  including  the  “Girl’s  Heart,  Princess’s  Dream  (少女
心‧公主夢)”-themed  flights  for  the  International  Women’s 
Day and “Magical Kingdom (魔幻王國)”-themed flights for the 
International Children’s Day.

Cost Control
During  the  reporting  period,  the  Group  took  the  initiative  to 
manage the risk of fluctuations in oil price and exchange rate. 
As such, its overall budget management system is becoming 
more  mature  and  its  risk  control  ability  has  been  improved 
constantly.

The  Company  strictly  implemented  the  “Income  Less,  Cost 
Less  (收入減,成本減)”  linkage  adjustment  mechanism  to 
effectively  mitigate  the  impact  of  the  rising  trend  of  the  oil 
prices, hence its costs and expenses had been limited within 
the  annual  targets.  It  actively  adjusted  the  debt  structure 
to  mitigate  the  challenge  of  RMB  depreciation,  repaid  a 
debt  of  1.837  billion  US  dollars  ahead  of  schedule  and  its 
RMB  financing  ratio  had  increased  from  30.69%  to  51.16%. 
Additionally, the Company continued to increase direct sales 
while cutting agency activities, and its direct sales percentage 
increased to over 40% with a decrease of RMB1.224 billion in 
agency fees as compared with the same period of the previous 
year.  The  Company  carried  out  various  forms  of  low  interest 
rates  financing,  such  as  issuing  corporate  bonds  and  ultra-
short-term  financing  bills  and  etc.,  and  the  direct  financing 
(excluding  obligations  under  finance  leases)  ratio  increased 
from 29.5% to 88.9%.

Xiamen  Airlines  adopted  cost  control  in  all  aspects  during 
the  whole  process  and  among  all  crews,  lowering  strategic 
cost of aircraft fleet, management cost, finance cost and flight 
operating cost through the streamlining of fleet, comprehensive 
management  of  budget,  refined  financial  management  and 
precise  operation,  respectively.  Such  long-term  fine  cost 
mechanism has further reinforced its low cost advantage.

Management Discussion and Analysis041

Tan Wan Geng
Vice Chairman and 
President

Operating Results
During the reporting period, the Group recorded total operating 
revenue  of  RMB114,981  million,  representing  an  increase  of 
2.98%  as  compared  with  the  same  period  of  the  previous 
year.  Its  operating  expenses  were  RMB106,204  million, 
representing an increase of 4.64% as compared with the same 
period of the previous year. Although there was an exchange 
loss  of  RMB3,276  million  resulting  from  RMB  exchange  rate 
fluctuations, benefited from the operating profit of its principal 
businesses,  the  Group  recorded  a  net  profit  attributable  to 
equity  shareholders  of  the  Company  of  RMB5,044  million, 
representing  an  increase  of  35.01%  as  compared  with  the 
same period of the previous year.

The  Board  would  like  to  extend  its  sincere  gratitude  to  the 
shareholders,  management  and  all  the  employees  of  the 
Company, and is pleased to recommend the payment of a final 
dividend of RMB1 (inclusive of applicable tax) per 10 shares 
for the year ended 31 December 2016, totaling approximately 
RMB982  million  based  on  the  Company’s  9,817,567,000 
issued  shares.  A  resolution  for  the  dividend  payment  will 
be  submitted  for  consideration  at  the  2016  Annual  General 
Meeting of the Company.

II.  FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
Part  of  the  financial  information  presented  in  this  section  is 
derived from the Company’s audited financial statements that 
have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs.

The profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 
of  RMB5,044  million  was  recorded  in  2016  as  compared  to 
the profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 
of RMB3,736 million in 2015. The Group’s operating revenue 
increased  by  RMB3,329  million  or  2.98%  from  RMB111,652 
million  in  2015  to  RMB114,981  million  in  2016.  Passenger 
load  factor  was  80.5%  in  2016  and  2015.  Passenger  yield 
(in  passenger  revenue  per  RPK)  decreased  by  5.66%  from 
RMB0.53  in  2015  to  RMB0.50  in  2016.  Average  yield  (in 
traffic revenue per RTK) decreased by 5.86% from RMB4.78 
in  2015  to  RMB4.50  in  2016.  Operating  expenses  increased 
by  RMB4,712  million  or  4.64%  from  RMB101,492  million  in 
2015 to RMB106,204 million in 2016. As a result of increase 
of  operating  revenue  netted  off  by  the  increase  of  operating 
expenses, operating profit of RMB12,612 million was recorded 
in 2016 as compared to operating profit of RMB13,438 million 
in 2015, representing a decrease by RMB826 million.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis042

III.  OPERATING REVENUE

Traffic revenue
Including:  Passenger revenue

– Domestic
– Hong Kong, Macau  

  and Taiwan

– International
Cargo and mail revenue

Other operating revenue
Mainly including: 
  Commission income
  Hotel and tour operation income
  General aviation income
  Ground services income
  Expired sales in advance of  

  carriage

Total operating revenue

Less: fuel surcharges income

Total operating revenue excluding  

fuel surcharges

2016

Operating 
revenue
RMB Million

109,693
102,502
77,257

2,230
23,015
7,191
5,288

2,518
625
461
384

376

114,981

(5,798)

109,183

Percentage
%

95.40

4.60

100.00

2015

Operating 
revenue
RMB Million

107,099
100,238
76,570

2,517
21,151
6,861
4,553

1,545
621
490
345

459

111,652

(6,300)

105,352

Percentage
%

95.92

4.08

100.00

Changes in 
revenue
%

2.42
2.26
0.90

(11.40)
8.81
4.81
16.14

62.98
0.64
(5.92)
11.30

(18.08)

2.98

(7.97)

3.64

100,238(93.59%)6,861(6.41%)2015102,502(93.44%)7,191(6.56%)2016Traffic Revenue Composition(RMB million)Passenger revenueCargo and mail revenue77,257(75.37%)2,230(2.18%)23,015(22.45%)201676,570(76.39%)2,517(2.51%)21,151(21.10%)2015Passenger revenue Composition (RMB million)InternationalDomesticHong Kong, Macau and TaiwanManagement Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
043

Substantially all of the Group’s operating revenue is attributable to airlines transport operations. Traffic revenue accounted for 
95.92%  and  95.40%  of  the  total  operating  revenue  in  2015  and  2016,  respectively.  Passenger  revenue  and  cargo  and  mail 
revenue  accounted  for  93.44%  and  6.56%,  respectively  of  the  total  traffic  revenue  in  2016.  During  the  reporting  period,  the 
Group’s total traffic revenue was RMB109,693 million, representing an increase of RMB2,594 million or 2.42% from prior year, 
mainly due to the increase in traffic capacity and traffic volume. The other operating revenue is mainly derived from commission 
income, hotel and tour operation income, general aviation income, ground services income and expired sales in advance of 
carriage.

The increase in operating revenue was primarily due to a 2.26% increase in passenger revenue from RMB100,238 million in 
2015 to RMB102,502 million in 2016. The total number of carried increased by 4.75% to 114.62 million passengers in 2016. 
RPKs increased by 8.71% from 189,588 million in 2015 to 206,106 million in 2016, primarily as a result of the increase in number 
of passengers carried. Passenger yield per RPK decreased from RMB0.53 in 2015 to RMB0.50 in 2016, which is mainly due 
to the drop of average ticket price.

Domestic passenger revenue, which accounted for 75.37% of the total passenger revenue in 2016, increased by 0.90% from 
RMB76,570  million  in  2015  to  RMB77,257  million  in  2016.  Domestic  capacity  in  ASKs  increased  by  4.39%,  while  passenger 
traffic in RPKs increased by 4.48%, resulting in an increase in passenger load factor by 0.1 percentage point from 80.6% in 
2015 to 80.7% in 2016. Domestic passenger yield per RPK decreased from RMB0.55 in 2015 to RMB0.53 in 2016.

Hong  Kong,  Macau  and  Taiwan  passenger  revenue,  which  accounted  for  2.18%  of  total  passenger  revenue,  decreased  by 
11.40%  from  RMB2,517  million  in  2015  to  RMB2,230  million  in  2016.  For  Hong  Kong,  Macau  and  Taiwan  flights,  passenger 
traffic  in  RPKs  decreased  by  12.57%,  while  passenger  capacity  in  ASKs  decreased  by  11.95%,  resulting  in  a  decrease  in 
passenger load factor by 0.6 percentage point from 74.1% in 2015 to 73.5% in 2016. Passenger yield per RPK increased from 
RMB0.71 in 2015 to RMB0.72 in 2016.

International passenger revenue, which accounted for 22.45% of total passenger revenue, increased by 8.81% from RMB21,151 
million  in  2015  to  RMB23,015  million  in  2016.  For  international  flights,  passenger  traffic  in  RPKs  increased  by  22.73%,  while 
passenger capacity in ASKs increased by 22.80%. Passenger load factor was 80.5% in 2015 and 2016. Passenger yield per 
RPK decreased from RMB0.45 in 2015 to RMB0.40 in 2016.

Cargo and mail revenue, which accounted for 6.56% of the Group’s total traffic revenue and 6.25% of total operating revenue, 
increased by 4.81% from RMB6,861 million in 2015 to RMB7,191 million in 2016. The increase was mainly attributable to the 
increase in cargo and mail carried.

Other operating revenue increased by 16.14% from RMB4,553 million in 2015 to RMB5,288 million in 2016. The increase was 
primarily due to the increase of commission income.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis044

IV.  OPERATING EXPENSES
Total operating expenses in 2016 amounted to RMB106,204 million, representing an increase of 4.64% or RMB4,712 million 
over  2015,  primarily  due  to  the  increase  in  payroll,  landing  and  navigation  fees,  depreciation  and  amortisation  and  aircraft 
operating  lease  charges  partially  offset  by  the  decrease  in  jet  fuel  costs.  Total  operating  expenses  as  a  percentage  of  total 
operating revenue increased from 90.90% in 2015 to 92.37% in 2016.

Operating expenses

2016

RMB Million

Flight operation expenses
Mainly including:
Jet fuel costs
Aircraft operating lease charges
Flight personnel payroll and welfare

Maintenance expenses
Aircraft and transportation service expenses
Promotion and selling expenses
General and administrative expenses
Depreciation and amortisation
Impairment on property, plant and equipment
Others

51,461

23,799
7,330
9,215
11,318
20,215
6,304
2,815
12,619
71
1,401

Percentage
%

48.45

10.66
19.03
5.94
2.65
11.88
0.07
1.32

2015

RMB Million

50,412

26,274
6,153
8,070
10,407
17,908
6,976
2,464
11,845
90
1,390

Percentage
%

49.67

10.25
17.64
6.87
2.43
11.67
0.09
1.38

Total operating expenses

106,204

100.00

101,492

100.00

Flight  operation  expenses,  which  accounted  for  48.45%  of  total  operating  expenses,  increased  by  2.08%  from  RMB50,412 
million in 2015 to RMB51,461 million in 2016, primarily as a result of increase in RTK due to the increase of capacity netted off 
by the decrease in jet fuel costs because of decrease in average fuel prices. Jet fuel costs, which accounted for 46.25% of 
flight operation expenses, decreased by 9.42% from RMB26,274 million in 2015 to RMB23,799 million in 2016.

Maintenance expenses, which accounted for 10.66% of total operating expenses, increased by 8.75% from RMB10,407 million 
in 2015 to RMB11,318 million in 2016. The increase was mainly due to fleet expansion.

Aircraft and transportation service expenses, which accounted for 19.03% of total operating expenses, increased by 12.88% 
from RMB17,908 million in 2015 to RMB20,215 million in 2016. The increase was primarily due to a 13.89% increase in landing 
and navigation fees from RMB11,510 million in 2015 to RMB13,109 million in 2016, resulted from the increase in the number 
of take-off and landings for international flights.

Promotion and selling expenses, which accounted for 5.94% of total operating expenses, decreased by 9.63% from RMB6,976 
million in 2015 to RMB6,304 million in 2016, mainly due to the decrease in sales commissions expenses.

General and administrative expenses, which accounted for 2.65% of the total operating expenses, increased by 14.25% from 
RMB2,464 million in 2015 to RMB2,815 million in 2016, mainly due to the increase in general corporate expenses.

Depreciation and amortisation, which accounted for 11.88% of the total operating expenses, increased by 6.53% from RMB11,845 
million in 2015 to RMB12,619 million in 2016 mainly due to fleet expansion.

Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
045

V.  OPERATING PROFIT
Operating profit of RMB12,612 million was recorded in 2016 (2015: RMB13,438 million). The decrease in operating profit was 
mainly due to the net effect of increase in operating revenue by RMB3,329 million or 2.98% and increase in operating expenses 
by RMB4,712 million or 4.64% compared with 2015.

1.32%5.94%48.45%2.65%0.07%19.03%10.66%11.88%2016Composition of Operating Expenses in 2016Flight operation expensesAircraft and transportation service expensesMaintenance expensesDepreciation and amortisationPromotion and selling expensesGeneral and administrative expensesOthersImpairment on property, plant and equipment201520160100002000030000400005000060000Flight operation expensesMaintenance expensesPromotion and selling expensesAircraft and transportation service expensesGeneral and administrative expensesDepreciation and amortisationImpairment on property, plant and equipment(RMB million)OthersComparison of operating expenses in 2015 and 2016China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis046

VI.  OTHER NET INCOME
Other net income increased by RMB557 million from RMB3,278 million in 2015 to RMB3,835 million in 2016, mainly due to the 
increase of government grants.

Interest expense increased by RMB277 million from RMB2,188 million in 2015 to RMB2,465 million in 2016 was mainly due to 
the increase in the interest rate and the weighted average balance of obligations under finance leases during the year.

Net exchange loss of RMB3,276 million was recorded in 2016, a decrease of RMB2,677 million from RMB5,953 million in 2015, 
mainly due to the decrease in USD dominated borrowings during the reporting period.

VII.  INCOME TAX
Income tax expense of RMB1,763 million was recorded in 2016, increased by RMB463 million from RMB1,300 million in 2015, 
mainly due to the increase of profit before income tax in the reporting period.

VIII.  LIQUIDITY, FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND CAPITAL STRUCTURE
As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets by RMB54,168 million. For the year ended 
31 December 2016, the Group recorded a net cash inflow from operating activities of RMB23,764 million, a net cash outflow 
from investing activities of RMB15,750 million and a net cash outflow from financing activities of RMB8,459 million and a resulting 
decrease in cash and cash equivalents of RMB445 million.

Net cash generated from operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in financing activities

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents as at 1 January
Exchange gain on cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents as at 31 December

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

23,764
(15,750)
(8,459)

(445)

4,560
37

4,152

23,734
(6,931)
(27,695)

(10,892)

15,414
38

4,560

The Group is dependent on its ability to maintain adequate cash inflow from operations, its ability to maintain existing external 
financing, and its ability to obtain new external financing to meet its debt obligations as they fall due and to meet its committed 
future capital expenditures. The Group’s policy is to regularly monitor its liquidity requirements and its compliance with lending 
covenants, to ensure that it maintains sufficient reserves of cash and adequate committed lines of funding from major financial 
institutions to meet its liquidity requirements in the short and longer term. As at 31 December 2016, the Group had banking 
facilities with several PRC banks and financial institutions for providing bank financing up to approximately RMB139,274 million 
(2015:  RMB173,739  million),  of  which  RMB110,199  million  (2015:  RMB131,021  million)  was  unutilised.  The  Directors  of  the 
Company believe that sufficient financing will be available to the Group when and where needed.

The Directors of the Company have carried out a review of the cash flow forecast of the Group for the twelve months ending 31 
December 2017. Based on such forecast, the Directors have determined that adequate liquidity exists to finance the working 
capital, capital expenditure requirements and dividend payments of the Group during that period. In preparing the cash flow 
forecast, the Directors have considered historical cash requirements of the Group as well as other key factors, including the 
availability of the above-mentioned bank facilities, which may impact the operations of the Group during the next twelve-month 
period. The Directors of the Company are of the opinion that the assumptions and sensitivities which are included in the cash 
flow forecast are reasonable. However, as with all assumptions in regard to future events, these are subject to inherent limitations 
and uncertainties and some or all of these assumptions may not be realised.

Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The analyses of the Group’s borrowings and obligations under finance leases are as follows:

Composition of borrowings and obligations under finance leases
2016
RMB million

Total borrowings and obligations under finance leases

Fixed rate borrowings and obligations under finance leases
Floating rate borrowings and obligations under finance 

leases

107,726

49,456

58,270

2015
RMB million

101,710

21,810

79,900

047

Change
%

5.91

126.76

(27.07)

Analysis of borrowings and obligations under finance leases by currency

USD
RMB
Others

Total

Maturity analysis of borrowings and obligations under finance leases

Within 1 year
After 1 year but within 2 years
After 2 years but within 5 years
After 5 years

Total

The Group’s capital structure at the end of the year is as follows:

Total liabilities (RMB million)
Total assets (RMB million)
Debt ratio

2016

145,466
200,442
73%

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

41,567
59,651
6,508

107,726

62,592
31,742
7,376

101,710

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

35,441
7,413
39,843
25,029

107,726

2015

136,365
185,989
73%

36,418
14,143
25,199
25,950

101,710

Change

6.67%
7.77%
/

21,810(21.44%)201549,456(45.91%)201679,900(78.56%)2015201658,270(54.09%)Fixed rate borrowings and obligations under finance leases (RMB million)Floating rate borrowings and obligations underfinance leases (RMB million)China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
048

The Group monitors capital on the basis of debt ratio, which is calculated as total liabilities divided by total assets. The debt 
ratio of the Group at 31 December 2016 was 73%, as compared to 73% at 31 December 2015.

IX.  MAJOR CHARGE ON ASSETS
As at 31 December 2016, certain aircraft of the Group with an aggregate carrying value of approximately RMB78,318 million 
(2015: RMB88,060 million) were mortgaged under certain loans or certain lease agreements.

X.  COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Commitments
As at 31 December 2016, the Group had capital commitments (excluding investment commitment) of approximately RMB105,141 
million (2015: RMB90,160 million). Of such amounts, RMB83,532 million related to the acquisition of aircraft and related flight 
equipment and RMB21,609 million for other projects.

As at 31 December 2016, the Group had investment commitments as follows:

Authorised and contracted for
Capital contributions for acquisition of interests in associates
Share of capital commitments of a joint venture

Authorised but not contracted for
Share of capital commitments of a joint venture

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

170
25

195

19

214

34
56

90

41

131

185,989136,3652015145,466201620152016200,442Total liabilities (RMB million)Total assets (RMB million)Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
049

Contingent Liabilities
(1) 

The  Group  leased  certain  properties  and  buildings  from  CSAHC  which  located  in  Guangzhou,  Wuhan  and  Haikou, 
etc. However, to the knowledge of the Group, such properties and buildings lack adequate documentation evidencing 
CSAHC’s rights thereto.

Pursuant to the indemnification agreement dated 22 May 1997 between the Group and CSAHC, CSAHC has agreed to 
indemnify the Group against any loss or damage arising from any challenge of the Group’s right to use such properties 
and buildings.

In addition, the Group is applying title certificates for certain of the Group’s properties and land use rights certificates 
for certain properties and parcels of land. The Company is of the opinion that the use of and the conduct of operating 
activities at these properties and these parcels of land are not affected by the fact that the Group has not yet obtained 
the relevant certificates.

The Company and its subsidiary, Xiamen Airlines, entered into agreements with certain pilot trainees and certain banks 
to provide guarantees on personal bank loans amounting to RMB696 million (31 December 2015: RMB627 million) that 
can be drawn by the pilot trainees to finance their respective flight training expenses. As at 31 December 2016, total 
personal bank loans of RMB409 million (31 December 2015: RMB454 million), under these guarantees, were drawn down 
from the banks. During the year, the Group paid RMB4 million (2015: RMB4 million) to the banks due to the default of 
payments of certain pilot trainees.

The Company is engaged in International Court of Arbitration proceedings a proceeding carried out in The International 
Court  of  Arbitration  of  International  Chamber  of  Commerce  (“ICC”)  brought  by  SASOF  TR-81  AVIATION  IRELAND 
LIMITED (the “lessor”), arising out of the redelivery of two Boeing 737 aircraft. The lessor has made various claims of 
approximately  USD13  million  in  the  arbitration  proceedings  relating  to  the  redelivery  condition  of  the  aircraft,  and  the 
Company  has  counterclaimed  against  the  lessor  for  the  recovery  of  approximately  USD9.8  million.  As  of  the  date  of 
this report, the hearing in the ICC has been completed, but the final award of the Arbitral Tribunal is still pending. The 
Company  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  cannot  reasonably  predict  the  result  and  potential  financial  impact  of  this  pending 
arbitration. Therefore, no provision has been made against this pending arbitration.

A  claim  was  raised  by  a  construction  company  in  the  Hainan  Province  of  the  PRC  (the  “claimant”)  in  2016  against  a 
wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  CSAHC,  the  Company  and  its  Sanya  Branch  for  the  alleged  non-payment  of  construction 
fees of RMB45 million and the relating interests. The Company are of the opinion that the claims and the civil judgment 
of the first trial are without merit and have instructed its legal advisor to defend the claims vigorously. As of the date of 
this report, the Company consider that given the preliminary status of the second trial, the Company cannot reasonably 
predict  the  result  and  potential  financial  impact  of  this  pending  claim,  if  any.  Therefore,  no  provision  has  been  made 
against this pending claim.

The Company received a claim dated 18 October 2016 from two PRC sales agents located in Guangzhou and Guangxi 
respectively  (the  “claimants”)  against  the  Company  for  the  alleged  breach  of  certain  terms  and  conditions  of  a  flight 
routes cooperative agreement (the “cooperative agreement”). The claimants have made a claim against the Company 
for  a  total  sum  of  approximately  RMB141  million  in  respect  of  the  alleged  non-payment  relating  to  cooperative  sales, 
the refund of the down payments of RMB5.8 million and the relating interests on the above late payment. The directors 
are of the opinion that the claims are without merit and have instructed its legal advisor to defend the claims vigorously. 
As of the date of this report, the Directors consider that given the nature of the claims and the preliminary status of the 
proceedings, the Company cannot reasonably predict the result and potential financial impact of this pending claim, if 
any. Therefore, no provision has been made against this pending claim.

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
050

XI.  RECONCILIATION OF DIFFERENCES IN FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

PREPARED UNDER PRC GAAP AND IFRSs 

Difference  in  net  profit  and  net  assets  attributable  to  equity  shareholders  of  the  Company  under 
consolidated financial information in financial statements between IFRSs and PRC GAAP

Unit: RMB million

Net profit attributable to equity 
shareholders of the Company

Net assets attributable to equity 
shareholders of the Company

January – 
December 2016

January – 
December 2015
(Restated)

31 December 
2016

31 December 
2015
(Restated)

5,055

3,892

43,181

39,191

1

48

(2)

(33)
(4)

(21)

5,044

1

(222)

(2)

(55)
69

53

3,736

(29)

149

2

182
(36)

7

43,456

(30)

101

4

(225)
(24)

28

39,045

Amounts under PRC GAAP
Adjustments:
Government grants
Capitalisation of exchange difference  
  of specific loans
Adjustments arising from an associate’s  
  business combination under  
  common control
Adjustments arising from the Company’s  
  business combination under  
  common control
Tax impact of the above adjustments
Effect of the above adjustments on  
  non-controlling interests

Amounts under IFRSs

1. 

2. 

3. 

In  accordance  with  the  PRC  GAAP,  special  funds  such  as  investment  grants  allocated  by  the  government,  if  clearly 
defined  in  official  documents  as  part  of  “capital  reserve”,  are  credited  to  capital  reserve.  Under  IFRSs,  government 
grants relating to purchase of fixed assets are deducted from the cost of the related fixed assets.

In  accordance  with  the  PRC  GAAP,  exchange  difference  arising  on  translation  of  specific  loans  and  related  interest 
denominated in a foreign currency is capitalised as part of the cost of qualifying assets. Under IFRSs, such exchange 
difference  should  be  recognised  in  income  statement  unless  the  exchange  difference  represents  an  adjustment  to 
interest.

In accordance with the PRC GAAP, the Company and its associate account for the business combination under common 
control  by  applying  the  pooling-of-interest  method.  Under  the  pooling-of-interest  method,  the  difference  between  the 
historical carrying amount of the acquiree and the consideration paid is accounted for as an equity transaction. Business 
combinations  under  common  control  are  accounted  for  as  if  the  acquisition  had  occurred  at  the  beginning  of  the 
earliest  comparative  year  presented  or,  if  later,  at  the  date  that  common  control  was  established;  for  this  purpose, 
comparative figures are restated under PRC GAAP. Under IFRSs, the Company adopts the purchase accounting method 
for acquisition of business under common control. In addition, adjustments are made to make its associate’s accounting 
policy  of  business  combination  under  common  control  conform  to  the  policy  of  the  Company  when  the  associate’s 
financial statements are used by the Company in applying the equity method when preparing its financial statements 
in accordance with IFRSs.

Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
051

XII.  CAPITAL NEEDS FOR MAINTAINING THE EXISTING BUSINESS OPERATION 

AND COMPLETING THE INVESTMENT PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Currency: RMB

Commitments

Contractual arrangement

Time schedule

Financing methods

Commitments in respect of 
aircraft, engines and flight 
equipment of RMB83,532 
million

Authorized and contracted

RMB25,971 million within 1 year 

Debt financing

(inclusive of 1 year); RMB24,355 
million after 1 year but within 
2 years (inclusive of 2 years); 
RMB17,878 million after 2 years 
but within 3 years (inclusive of 3 
years); RMB15,328 million after 
3 years

Investment commitments of 

Authorized and contracted

RMB170 million

Other commitments of 

Authorized and contracted

Others

Others

RMB2,297 million

Operating lease 

commitments of 
RMB61,215 million

Non-cancellable operating 

RMB7,948 million within 1 year 

Others

leases in respect of 
aircraft, flight equipment 
and properties

(inclusive of 1 year); RMB7,427 
million after 1 year but within 
2 years (inclusive of 2 years); 
RMB7,390 million after 2 years 
but within 3 years (inclusive of 3 
years); RMB38,450 million after 
3 years

The Group intended to satisfy the capital needs above through operating income, existing bank credit lines, leases and other 
financing methods to ensure normal production and operation of the Company.

XIII. Analysis of Aviation Industrial and Operational Information
(I)  Capital arrangement for introducing aircraft and related equipment during the reporting period
(unit: number of aircraft)

Models introduced 
during the reporting period

Capital arrangement

Operating lease

Finance lease

Purchased

A330-300
A321
A320
A320-200NEO
B787-9
B777-300ER
B737-800

Total

0
0
0
2
0
0
27

29

3
10
5
0
1
3
0

22

0
0
0
0
0
0
2

2

Number of 
aircraft obtained 
during the 
reporting period

3
10
5
2
1
3
29

53

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
052

(II)  Capital expenditure plan and relevant financing plan for aircraft and related equipment during 

2017-2019

Capital expenditure 
commitments of aircraft and 
related equipment

Contractual 
arrangement

Currency: RMB

Time schedule

Financing methods

Commitments in respect of 
aircraft, engines and flight 
equipment of RMB68,204 
million

Authorized and 

RMB25,971 million within 1 year 

Debt financing

contracted

(inclusive of 1 year); RMB24,355 
million after 1 year but within 
2 years (inclusive of 2 years); 
RMB17,878 million after 2 years 
but within 3 years (inclusive of 3 
years)

(III)  Expected yield from aircraft purchased during the reporting period

During the reporting period, the Company and Xiamen Airlines entered into agreements with the Boeing Company to 
purchase a total of 18 B787-9 aircraft and 10 B737-800 aircraft from the Boeing Company.

Assuming that there are no major changes in the market conditions and based on the comprehensive cabin layout of 
similar aircraft of the Company, the specific route structure in 2014-2016 and the average seat kilometer yield level in 
combination  with the cabin layout of newly introduced aircraft  B787-9, it  is  expected  that the yield  per  seat  kilometer 
of domestic routes and international routes will be approximately RMB0.647 and approximately RMB0.312 respectively 
after aircraft B787-9 purchased has been put into service.

Assuming that there are no major changes in the market conditions and based on the comprehensive cabin layout of 
similar aircraft of Xiamen Airlines, the specific route structure in 2014-2016 and the average seat kilometer yield level in 
combination with the cabin layout of newly introduced aircraft B737-800, it is expected that the yield per seat kilometer 
of domestic routes will be approximately RMB0.414 after aircraft B737-800 purchased has been put into service.

(IV)  Maintenance expenses during the reporting period

During the reporting period, the aviation repair and maintenance charges of the Group amounted to RMB7,952 million.

(V)  Depreciation during the reporting period

During  the  reporting  period,  the  depreciation  of  the  Group’s  aircraft  and  other  flight  equipment  (including  rotables) 
amounted to RMB11,484 million.

(VI) 

Increase of captain and copilot during the reporting period and annual average flying hours 
of captain and copilot in service

Item

Captain
Copilot
Other pilots

Increase/Decrease 
(person)

Annual average 
flying hours (hour)

400
-21
282

874
827
/

Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
053

XIV. ANALYSIS ON INVESTMENTS
(1) 

Important equity investment
On 2 February 2016, the Company entered into the Transfer Agreement between CSAHC and the Company on Transferring 
100%  Equity  of  SAIETC  with  CSAHC,  our  controlling  shareholder,  by  which  the  Company  purchased  100%  equity  of 
SAIETC from CSAHC at the price of RMB400,570,400.

On 23 December 2016, the Company entered into the Capital Increase Agreement with CSAHC, Xiamen Airlines, Shantou 
Airlines, Zhuhai Airlines and Guangzhou Nanland Air Catering Company Limited, under which the Company, in the form 
of  cash,  will  increase  the  capital  of  Finance  Company  by  RMB169,888,917.96.  Upon  capital  increase,  equity  interest 
held  by  the  Company  in  the  Finance  Company  would  increase  from  21.089%  to  25.277%.  For  details  of  the  above-
mentioned  transaction,  please  refer  to  related  announcements  issued  by  the  Company  on  Shanghai  Stock  Exchange 
on 24 December 2016.

(2) 

Important non-equity investment
On 26  April 2016, Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary  of  the Company  entered  into  the  Purchase Contract  for  10  B737-800 
Aircraft  with  the  Boeing  Company,  by  which  Xiamen  Airlines  agreed  to  purchase  10  B737-800  aircraft  from  Boeing 
Company. The transaction is invalid until approvals are obtained from the relevant national departments.

On 27 July 2016, Xiamen Airlines, a holding subsidiary of the Company, entered into the Purchase Contract for 6 B787-9 
Aircraft with the Boeing Company, by which Xiamen Airlines agreed to purchase 6 B787-9 from the Boeing Company. 
The transaction under such contract is invalid until approvals are obtained from the relevant national departments.

On 12 October 2016, the Company entered into the Purchase Contract for 12 B787-9 Aircraft with Boeing Company, by 
which the Company agreed to purchase 12 B787-9 aircraft from Boeing Company. The transaction under such contract 
is invalid until approvals are obtained from the relevant national departments.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis054

(3)  Financial assets carried at fair value

Initial 
Investment 
cost

Equity 
ownership 
(%)

Carrying 
value at 
the end of 
the period

Profit 
and loss 
for the 
reporting 
period

9

16

33

58

0.48

0.013

2.25

/

34

54

411

499

/

3

11

14

Stock code

Abbreviation

000099

CITIC Offshore Helicopter

601328

Bank of Communications

00696

TravelSky Tech

Total

(4)  Shareholding in non-listed financial corporation

Initial 
investment 
amount

Holding 
amount 
(shares)

Equity 
ownership 
(%)

Carrying 
value at 
the end of 
the period

Profit and 
loss for the 
reporting 
period

246

246

/

/

33.98

/

278

278

37

37

Name

Finance 

Company

Total

Unit: RMB million

Changes 
in owners’ 
equity 
during the 
reporting 
period

(9)

(7)

378

Accounting item

Available-for-sale 
financial assets
Available-for-sale 
financial assets
Available-for-sale 
financial assets

Sources of 
the shares

Purchase

Purchase

Establish

362

/

/

Unit: RMB million

Changes 
in owners’ 
equity 
during the 
reporting 
period

Accounting item

Source of 
the shares

(1)

Interest in associates

Purchase

(1)

/

/

(5)  Trust management in respect of non-financial corporations and investment in derivatives

(1)  Trust management

During the reporting period, the Company did not make any trust management.

(2)  Entrusted loan

During  the  reporting  period,  Xiamen  Airlines,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Company,  provided  entrusted  loan  to  Hebei 
Airlines,  a  subsidiary  of  Xiamen  Airlines,  amounting  to  RMB500  million  and  USD18  million  respectively,  which 
were used to supplement the working capital of Hebei Airlines.

XV.  MAJOR ASSETS AND SHAREHOLDING DISPOSAL
On 12 October 2016, the Company entered into the Sales Contract for Aircraft with the Boeing Company, by which the Company 
agreed to sell 4 B777-200 aircraft and 2 spare engines to the Boeing Company.

Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
055

XVI.  ANALYSIS ON MAJOR CONTROLLING COMPANIES AND JOINT STOCK 

COMPANIES

1.  Main operational information of the six civil aviation subsidiaries of the Group:

Number of 
passengers 
carried 
(thousand)

Contribution 
to the 
Group’s 
passengers 
carried (%)

26,956.15
2,895.53
1,755.60
3,090.69
2,841.32
4,785.32

23.52
2.53
1.53
2.70
2.48
4.17

Cargo and 
mail carried 
(tonne)

239,835.9
21,814.3
15,001.0
28,241.6
20,933.9
44,072.7

Contribution 
to the 
Group’s 
cargo and 
mail carried 
(%)

14.87
1.35
0.93
1.75
1.30
2.73

Name

Xiamen Airlines
Shantou Airlines
Zhuhai Airlines
Guizhou Airlines
Chongqing Airlines
Henan Airlines

Contribution 
to the 
Group’s 
RTK (%)

16.5
1.39
1.11
1.89
1.44
2.64

RTK 
(million)

4,013.20
339.00
271.73
461.74
350.72
644.01

Contribution 
to the 
Group’s 
RPK (%)

19.68
1.70
1.36
2.30
1.78
3.20

RPK 
(million)

40,563.50
3,510.72
2,805.11
4,730.67
3,663.23
6,593.39

Note:  The  operational  information  of  Xiamen  Airlines  includes  operational  information  of  its  subsidiary  Hebei  Airlines  and  Jiangxi 

Airlines.

(II). 

Information of Subsidiaries
Xiamen Airlines
1. 
Xiamen Airlines was established in August 1984 with registered capital of RMB8 billion. The legal representative 
is Che Shang Lun. The Company holds 55% of the shares in Xiamen Airlines; Xiamen Jianfa Group Co., Ltd. and 
Fujian Investment Group Co., Ltd. also hold 34% and 11% in Xiamen Airlines, respectively.

As at 31 December 2016, Xiamen Airlines (including Hebei Airlines and Jiangxi Airlines) had a fleet of 167 aircraft. 
During the reporting period, Xiamen Airlines (including Hebei Airlines, Jiangxi Airlines) completed 4,010 million 
revenue tonne kilometers, representing an increase of 15.7% as compared to the same period of the previous 
year.  Xiamen  Airlines  carried  26,956,000  passengers  and  240,000  tonnes  of  cargos,  representing  an  increase 
of 8.4% and 5.0%, respectively as compared to the same period of the previous year. The average passenger 
load  factor  was  76.3%,  representing  an  increase  of  0.5  percentage  point  as  compared  to  the  same  period  of 
the  previous  year.  The  average  load  factor  was  65.0%,  representing  an  increase  of  0.5  percentage  points  as 
compared to the same period of the previous year.

In 2016, Xiamen Airlines recorded operating revenue of RMB21,874 million, representing an increase of 9.84% 
as compared to the same period of the previous year; and it had a net profit of RMB1,223 million, representing 
an increase of 4.53% as compared to the same period of the previous year. As at 31 December 2016, Xiamen 
Airlines’ total assets amounted to RMB44,075 million, and net assets amounted to RMB16,339 million.

2. 

Shantou Airlines
Shantou Airlines was established in July 1993 with registered capital of RMB0.28 billion. The legal representative 
is Xiao Li Xin. The Company holds 60% of the shares in Shantou Airlines; Shantou Aviation Investment Co., Ltd. 
holds 40% of the shares in Shantou Airlines.

As  at  31  December  2016,  Shantou  Airlines  had  a  fleet  of  14  aircraft.  During  the  reporting  period,  Shantou 
Airlines completed 339 million revenue tonne kilometers, representing a decrease of 0.47% as compared to the 
same period of the previous year. Shantou Airlines carried 2,895,500 passengers and 21,800 tonnes of cargos, 
representing a decrease of 0.88% and 0.14%, respectively as compared to the same period of the previous year. 
The average passenger load factor was 78.8%, representing a decrease of 0.4 percentage point as compared 
to  the  same  period  of  the  previous  year.  The  average  load  factor  was  71.6%,  representing  a  decrease  of  0.9 
percentage point as compared to the same period of the previous year.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
056

3. 

Zhuhai Airlines
Zhuhai Airlines was established in May 1995 with registered capital of RMB0.25 billion. The legal representative is 
Wang Zhi Xue. The Company holds 60% of the shares in Zhuhai Airlines; Zhuhai Stated-owned Asset Supervision 
and Administration Commission holds 40% of the shares in Zhuhai Airlines.

As at 31 December 2016, Zhuhai Airlines had a fleet of 10 aircraft. During the reporting period, Zhuhai Airlines 
completed 272 million revenue tonne kilometers, representing an increase of 6.51% as compared to the same 
period  of  the  previous  year.  Zhuhai  Airlines  carried  1,755,600  passengers  and  15,000  tonnes  of  cargos, 
representing an increase of 4.81% and  21.21%,  respectively  as  compared to the same  period of  the  previous 
year.  The  average  passenger  load  factor  was  80.1%,  representing  a  decrease  of  0.5  percentage  points  as 
compared to the same period of the previous year. The average load factor was 73.6%, representing an increase 
of 1.6 percentage points as compared to the same period of the previous year.

4. 

Guizhou Airlines
Guizhou Airlines was established in June 1998 with registered capital of RMB0.65 billion. The legal representative 
is Zhang Sheng. The Company holds 60% of the shares in Guizhou Airlines; Guizhou Industrial Investment (Group) 
Co., Ltd. holds 40% of the shares in Guizhou Airlines.

As  at  31  December  2016,  Guizhou  Airlines  had  a  fleet  of  18  aircraft.  During  the  reporting  period,  Guizhou 
Airlines completed 462 million revenue tonne kilometers, representing an increase of 10.80% as compared to the 
same period of the previous year. Guizhou Airlines carried 3,090,700 passengers and 28,200 tonnes of cargos, 
representing an increase of 7.62% and 17.7%, respectively as compared to the same period of the previous year. 
The average passenger load factor was 79.5%, representing an increase of 0.7 percentage points as compared 
to  the  same  period  of  the  previous  year.  The  average  load  factor  was  72.8%,  representing  an  increase  of  2.4 
percentage point as compared to the same period of the previous year.

5. 

Chongqing Airlines
Chongqing Airlines was established in May 2007 with registered capital of RMB1.2 billion. The legal representative 
is  Liu  De  Jun.  The  Company  holds  60%  of  the  shares  in  Chongqing  Airlines;  Chongqing  City  Transportation 
Development & Investment Group Company Limited holds 40% of the shares in Chongqing Airlines.

As at 31 December 2016, Chongqing Airlines had a fleet of 14 aircraft. During the reporting period, Chongqing 
Airlines completed 351 million revenue tonne kilometers, representing an increase of 11.91% as compared to the 
same period of the previous year. Chongqing Airlines carried 2,841,300 passengers, representing an increase 
of  7.44%  as  compared  to  the  same  period  of  the  previous  year.  Chongqing  Airlines  carried  20,900  tonnes  of 
cargos, representing an increase of 16.74% as compared to the same period of the previous year. The average 
passenger load factor was 83.7%, representing a decrease of 0.1 percentage point as compared to the same 
period  of  the  previous  year.  The  average  load  factor  was  74.6%,  representing  a  decrease  of  2.6  percentage 
points as compared to the same period of the previous year.

Management Discussion and Analysis057

6. 

Henan Airlines
Henan Airlines was established in September 2013 with registered capital of RMB6 billion. The legal representative 
is  Pei  Ai  Zhou.  The  Company  holds  60%  of  the  shares  in  Henan  Airlines;  Henan  Civil  Aviation  and  Investment 
Co., Ltd. holds 40% of the shares in Henan Airlines.

As at 31 December 2016, Henan Airlines had a fleet of 28 aircraft. During the reporting period, Henan Airlines 
completed  644  million  revenue  tonne  kilometers,  representing  an  increase  of  0.67%  as  compared  to  the 
same period of the previous year. Henan Airlines carried 4,785,300 passengers and 44,100 tonnes of cargos, 
representing  an  increase  of  3.58%  and  a  decrease  of  0.69%  respectively  as  compared  to  the  same  period  of 
the previous year. The average passenger load factor was 80.7%, representing an increase of 0.7 percentage 
point as compared to the same period of the previous year. The average load factor was 73.9%, representing 
an increase of 1.0 percentage point as compared to the same period of the previous year.

(III).  Information of other major joint stock companies

Name of investee companies

Nature of 
business

Registered 
capital

Proportion of shares held  
at the investee companies (%)

(note)

Direct

Indirect

1. Joint ventures
  Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance 

  Engineering Co., Ltd

Aircraft repair and 

USD65,000,000

maintenance 
services

  Zhuhai Xiang Yi Aviation 

Flight simulation 

USD58,444,760

  Technology Company Limited

services

2. Associates
  Finance Company
  Sichuan Airlines Company Limited
  SACM

Financial services
Airlines transportation
Advertising agency 

724,330,000
1,000,000,000
200,000,000

services

  Xinjiang Civil Aviation Property  

Property management

304,415,632

  Management Limited

Note: 

 Expressed in Renminbi unless otherwise indicated.

50

51

21.09
39
40

42.80

/

/

12.89
/
/

/

XVII.  INFORMATION OF STRUCTURED ENTITY CONTROLLED BY THE COMPANY
During the reporting period, there was no structured entity controlled by the Company.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
058

XVIII.  INDUSTRY COMPETITION LANDSCAPE AND DEVELOPMENT TREND
During  the  “12th  Five-year  Plan”  period,  China’  civil  aviation  industry  has  achieved  rapid  and  sustainable  development  with 
annual  increases  of  9.6%,  10.4%  and  2.3%  in  the  total  transport  tonne  kilometers,  passenger  volume  and  cargo  and  mail 
tonne  kilometers,  respectively.  The  industry  has  maintained  continuous  profitability  and  ranked  second  globally  in  terms  of 
transportation  scale.  In  recent  years,  the  consumption  attribute  of  China’s  air  transportation  has  become  more  evident,  with 
the  number  of  personal  travel  passengers  exceeding  business  travel  passengers  and  began  to  take  the  leading  position. 
As  outbound  travel  has  been  in  great  demand  and  the  demand  in  the  international  market  has  far  surpassed  the  industrial 
average, more and more airlines has allocated more resources and manpower to develop the international market, in particular 
the  international  routes  from  China  to  Australia,  North  America  and  Europe.  The  Company  competes  with  Air  China,  China 
Eastern  Airlines,  Hainan  Airlines,  Spring  Airlines,  and  Juneyao  Airlines  and  other  domestic  airlines  in  terms  of  domestic  air 
routes; while it competes directly or indirectly with airlines in the United States, Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia in terms of 
international air routes. Meanwhile, domestic high-speed railway which has been growing rapidly in recent years has become 
a new competitor of the Company. In September 2016, the CAAC and NDRC jointly issued the Circular concerning Relevant 
Issues of Deepening Reform of Civil Aviation Domestic Air Transport Ticket Prices (《關於深化民航國內航空旅客運輸票價改革
有關問題的通知》) to further increase the number of air routes adopting market-adjusted price. It is further provided that the 
passenger  transport  ticket  price  of  air  routes  under  800  kilometers  or  air  routes  above  800  kilometers  which  competes  with 
the high-speed railway bullet trains shall be determined by the airlines themselves. The gradual loosening of the control over 
ticket price enables airlines to set their own prices according to market demand and gives full pay to the decisive role of the 
market in resource allocation. It is expected that the competition in the industry will become fiercer.

Since China has entered into the “13th Five-year Plan” period, we are currently of the opinion that China’s civil aviation is still 
at an important time of development and will maintain rapid growth for a relatively long period. The reasons are as follows:

(I) 

(II) 

Great market potential. As one of the markets with fastest growth rate in the world, China had a population of 1.38 billion 
and  a  passenger  traffic  volume  of  488  million  in  2016,  with  a  per  capita  passenger  air  trip  of  0.35,  according  to  the 
estimates by the National Bureau of Statistics of China and CAAC. The per capita passenger air trip of the United States 
remained at 2.3 to 2.4 in recent years, which is 6 to 7 times to that of China. As estimated by CAAC, China’s passenger 
traffic volume will reach 720 million with an average annual growth rate of over 10% and a per capita passenger air trip 
of 0.5. According to IATA, China is expected to surpass the United States to become the largest aviation market in the 
world by 2024.

Strong impetus from the growing tourist industry. 
According to the experience of relevant countries, 
the  outbound  market  will  experience  explosive 
growth after a country’s per capita GDP exceeds 
USD10,000. It is expected that China’s per capita 
GDP will reach USD10,000 by 2020, according to 
the Ministry of Finance. At that time, the number of 
domestic tourists is expected to reach 6.4 billion 
and the total number of passengers in-bound and 
out-bound China is expected to reach 750 million, 
of which the number of passengers travelling by air 
will reach more than 150 million. Therefore, there 
remains large growth potential in the international 
market for China’s civil aviation.

Management Discussion and Analysis059

(III)  More favorable development environment. During the “13th Five-year Plan” period, the country’s plan to build an all-round 
new opening-up pattern has brought strategic development opportunities for China’s civil aviation industry to expand 
into the international market. Meanwhile, both the central and local governments have placed emphasis on civil aviation 
by increasing their investments, as a result of which, airlines’ development prospect expanded rapidly. Currently, there 
are 28 airports having passenger annual turnover exceeding 10 million in China. The first 30 markets plans to expand 
their terminals or runways. In addition, new airports will be built in Chengdu, Wuhan, Sanya and Dalian.

XIX. DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
By  adhering  to  the  keynote  of  “Making  Steady  Progress”  and  the  strategic  plan  of  “Safety  First”,  as  well  as  the  strategic 
guidance  of  “Leading  Market”,  the  Group  strives  to  build  Guangzhou  and  Beijing  as  its  “dual  cores”.  By  firmly  following 
the  strategic  direction  of  “standardization,  integration,  intelligentization  and  globalization”,  the  Group  will  first  start  with  the 
established strategic projects and move towards the goal of becoming a world-class aviation conglomerate with international 
competitiveness.

The Group will always put aviation safety first before all works; give full play to the market’s decisive role in resource allocation 
and continue to improve its operating efficiency; and unswervingly carry out the construction of Guangzhou hub while diligently 
build and operate Beijing hub. Meanwhile, the Group will facilitate the strategic coordination among different markets.

The Group will improve operating efficiency, lower operating costs and enhance service level through standardized management. 
The Group will make joint efforts in building “China Southern Airlines conglomerate” by strengthening strategic coordination, 
integrating core businesses and promoting industrial development of key segments. The Group will pursue for innovation-driven 
development through application of modern information technologies such as internet, cloud computing, big data and artificial 
intelligence.  In  addition,  it  will  promote  intelligent  management  and  service  by  leveraging  the  opportunity  of  building  “China 
Southern e-travel”. The Group will improve its 
ability  to  operate  and  manage  international 
business  by  creating  an  international  route 
network  adaptable  to  its  own  features  and 
promote  the  development  of  its  international 
through  various  platforms  and 
business 
partners.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis060

By the end of the “13th Five-year Plan” period, the Group will 
develop  into  a  large  international  airlines  with  an  extensive 
network  and  a  fleet  of  exceeding  1,000  aircraft.  The  annual 
passenger  volume,  cargo  and  mail  volume  will  reach  160 
million and 2 million tonnes, respectively.

XX.  BUSINESS PLAN
Looking forward to 2017, although the global economy growth 
is expected to be slightly higher as compared with the previous 
year,  the  pace  of  trade  liberalization  will  slow  down  due  to 
the rising protectionism and the increasing geopolitical risks. 
Although  faced  with  great  downward  pressure,  China  will 
continue to rank the forefront of the world’s major economies in 
terms of economic growth, as its reform deepens. Civil aviation 
industry in China is still in the important period of opportunities 
with  huge  market  potentials.  Meanwhile,  we  are  facing  a 

number of challenges, such as rebound of international crude 
oil prices, fluctuations of RMB exchange rate, aggravation of 
international market competition and gradual improvement of 
the  “Eight  Vertical  and  Eight  Horizontal  (八縱八橫)”  network 
for high-speed railways and etc. Under the general principle 
of  “Steady  Progress”,  the  strategic  concept  of  “Safety  First” 
and  the  strategic  guideline  of  “Market  Orientation”,  the 
Group  will  endeavor  to  create  a  strategic  layout  of  “Dual 
Hubs” of Guangzhou-Beijing. Adhering firmly to the strategic 
orientation  of  standardization,  integration,  intellectualization 
and  internationalization,  the  Group  will  deepen  the  reform 
and  keep  on  implementing  its  strategies  to  ensure  aviation 
safety  and  excellent  performance.  The  Group  is  marching 
forward  to  the  goal  of  becoming  a  world  first-class  aviation 
industry  group  with  international  competitiveness,  striving  to 
offer  returns  to  its  shareholders  and  the  society  with  better 
performance. In 2017, we will focus on the following matters:

Management Discussion and Analysis061

(I). 

Continuously improve the level of safety management. 
We will implement the accountability system for safety 
in all aspects, all level and the whole chain under the 
concept of “Safety First”; improve the manual systems 
to be of complete quantity and perfect quality and build 
the  authority  of  the  rules  by  using  various  methods; 
carry  on  the  safety  training  and  in-depth  technical 
research and discussions to accelerate the promotion 
and application of new technology and promote the use 
of safe big data; and perfect the contingency plans and 
the  internal  rapid  emergency  response  mechanism, 
increase  actual  maneuvers  and  establish  an  external 
emergency linkage mechanism. In 2017, the Group will 
continue to ensure another year of aviation safety.

(II).  Continuously optimize the fleet structure based on the 
market  environment.  We  will  strengthen  medium-  and 
long-term  planning  for  transport  capacity,  and  make 
rolling  planning  and  dynamic  adjustment  based  on 
market  changes;  accelerate  the  upgrading  of  cabins 
in  order  to  be  in  line  with  new  trends  in  cabin  layout; 
and  increase  the  compatibility  of  wide-body  aircraft 
to  flights  taking  into  account  the  international  route 
structure.  In  2017,  the  Group  plans  to  introduce  86 
aircrafts and dispose 30 aircrafts.

(III).  Create  a  first-class  international  service  brand  with 
sincere  service.  We  will 
increase  hardware  and 
software investments to accelerate the interconnection 
between  the  air  and  the  ground  and  in-flight  WIFI 
service,  continuously  improve  hub  transit  service, 
optimize  the  transit  process  and  enhance  the  transit 
efficiency  and  the  electronic  service  level  of  ticket 
purchases,  seat  selection,  check-in,  luggage  and 
security check. Moreover, we will continue to strengthen 
the  promotion  of  the  “China  Southern  Airlines”  brand, 
increase  international  marketing  efforts  and  increase 
the influence on the mainstream markets.

(IV).  Accelerate  adaptation  to  new  changes  and  further 
raise  the  capability  in  operation  assurance.  We  will 
adapt  to  the  Company’s  rapid  development  and 
accelerate the construction of the “centralized control, 
unified command” mega operating system, adjust and 
optimize  the  organization  and  operation  process  and 
set  up  an  operation  and  management  mode  which 
matches  with  specific  features  of  a  large  fleet.  In 
addition,  we  will  continue  to  perfect  the  contingency 
plans for extensive flight delays, enhance services for 
delayed  flights  and  effectively  safeguard  the  interest 
of  the  passengers,  in  order  to  maintain  our  industry-
leading on-time arrival rate.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis062

(V). 

Vigorously strengthen the hub construction and continuously expand the effectiveness of transition. We will put forward 

the  construction  of  Beijing  new  airport,  and  plan  and  consider  the  integrated  function  of  the  hub  to  ensure  that  the 

operational  process  meets  the  hub  requirements;  further  deepen  the  construction  of  Guangzhou  hub,  continue  to 

consolidate the advantages and perfect the international network, with a view to enlarging the effect of “Canton Route”; 

and continue to intensify the hub coordination, study and promote the integration strategy for Guangzhou and Shenzhen, 

so  as  to  consolidate  the  Pearl  River  Delta  market  and  create  two  mutually-supporting  collaborative  hubs  with  their 

respective focuses.

(VI).  Expedite the construction of the “China Southern e-Travel” and consolidate the competitive advantages. We will launch 

all  the  core  functions  of  the  “China  Southern  Airlines  Mobile”  during  the  year  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to  enhance 

its convenience; improve the evaluation feedback mechanism by consolidating various indicators, such as passenger 

activity, sales volume and etc.; strengthen the integration of IT resources of the Company, break isolation of information 

and  promote  the  integration  of  data  from  marketing,  operation,  service  and  management  systems,  so  as  to  establish 

a  China  Southern  Airlines  database  for  information  sharing,  and  thus  elevating  the  intelligent  level;  and  continue  to 

vigorously develop the follower base, striving to get over 20 million followers in the social media by the end of the year 

and 9 million new downloads of the App.

(VII).  Fully utilize the important functions of financial management, and focus on cost control. We will keep on paying attention 

to exchange rate fluctuations and make timely and decisive responses, so as to dynamically optimize the debt currency 

structure;  match  the  capital  duration  of  the  investment  projects  in  a  scientific  way,  adjust  and  optimize  the  ratios  of 

short- and long-term financings and reduce financing costs by using a combination of various methods; make full use 

of  various  fiscal  and  taxation  preferential  policies,  and  actively  explore  other  lease  models  and  businesses  including 

setting  up  special  purpose  vehicles,  so  as  to  reduce  leasing  costs;  and  consolidate  and  deepen  the  overall  budget 

management, increase efforts to fine management of costs and further tap the potentials of cost control.

XXI. RISK FACTORS ANALYSIS

(I)  Macro environment risks

Risks of fluctuation in macroeconomy
The degree of prosperity of the civil aviation industry is closely linked to the status of the development of the domestic 

and international macroeconomy. Macroeconomy has a direct impact on the economic activities, the disposable income 

of the residents and the import and export trade volume, which in turn affects the demand of the air passenger and air 

cargo, and further affects the business and operating results of the Group.

Risks of macro policies
Macroeconomic policies made by the government, in particular the adjustment in the cyclical macro policies, including 

credit, interest rate, exchange rate and fiscal expenditure, have a direct or indirect impact on the air transport industry. 

In addition, the establishment of the new airlines, the opening of aviation rights, routes, fuel surcharges, air ticket fares 

and other aspects are regulated by the government, and the fuel surcharges pricing mechanism  is also  provided  by 

the government. The changes in the relevant policies will have a potential impact on the operating results and the future 

development of the business of the Company.

Management Discussion and Analysis063

(II) 

Industry risks

Risks of intensifying competition in the industry
With the gradual opening of the domestic civil aviation market, the competition in the scale, flights, prices, service and 

other aspects among three big airlines, foreign airlines and small and medium airlines has been intensifying, which poses 

tough challenges to our operation model and management level. As for the domestic routes, the Company faces the 

competition from the low-cost airlines. As for the Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and international routes, the Company faces 

the competition from a number of powerful and advanced foreign airlines. The foreign airlines have certain advantages 

in  the  operation  management  and  customer  resources,  which  brings  certain  unfavourable  effect  on  the  market  share 

and profitability of the Company.

Risks of competition from other modes of transportation
There are certain substitutability in short to medium range routes transportation among air transport, railway transport 

and road transportation. With the roll-out of CRH trains, the construction of the national high speed rails network and the 

improving inter-city expressways network, the competition and substitution of railway transport and road transportation 

with relatively inexpensive cost poses certain competitive pressure on the development of the air transport business of 

the Company.

Other force majeure and unforeseen risks
The aviation industry is subject to a significant impact from the external environment, and the natural disasters, including 

earthquake, typhoon, and tsunami, abrupt public health incidents as well as terrorist attacks, international political turmoil 

and  other  factors  will  affect  the  normal  operation  of  the  airlines,  thus  bringing  unfavourable  effect  to  the  results  and 

long-term development of the Company.

(III)  Risks of the Company management

Safety risks
Flight  safety  is  the  prerequisite  and  foundation  for  the  normal  operation  of  the  airlines.  Adverse  weather,  mechanical 

failure, human error, aircraft defects as well as other force majeure incidents may have effect on the flight safety. With 

big size of aircraft fleet and more cross-location, overnight and international operations, the Company was confronted 

with certain challenges in its safety operation. In case of any flight accident, it will have an adverse effect on the normal 

production and operation and reputation of the Company.

Risks of high capital expenditure
The major capital expenditure of the Company is to purchase aircraft. In recent years, the Company has been optimizing 

the  fleet  structure  and  reducing  the  operational  cost  through  introducing  more  advanced  models,  dispose  obsolete 

models and streamlining the number of models. Due to the high fixed costs for the operation of aircraft, if the operation 

condition of the Company suffered from a severe downturn, it may lead to the significant drop in the operating profit, 

financial distress and other problems

(IV)  Financial risks of the Company

Foreign currency risk
RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. All foreign exchange transactions involving RMB must take place 

either through the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) or other institutions authorised to buy and sell foreign exchange or 

at  a  swap  centre.  Substantially  all  of  the  Group’s  obligations  under  finance  leases,  certain  bank  and  other  loans  and 

operating lease commitments are denominated in foreign currencies, principally US dollars, Euro and Japanese Yen. 

Depreciation  or  appreciation  of  RMB  against  foreign  currencies  affects  the  Group’s  results  significantly  because  the 

Group’s foreign currency liabilities generally exceed its foreign currency assets.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and Analysis064

Jet fuel price risk
The fuel  cost is the most major cost and expenditure  for  the Company. Both the fluctuation  in  the international  crude 

oil  prices  and  the  adjustment  of  domestic  fuel  prices  by  the  National  Development  and  Reform  Commission  has  big 

impact on the profit of the Company. Although the Company has adopted various fuel saving measures to control the 

unit fuel cost and decrease the fuel consumption volume, if there is significant fluctuations in the international oil prices, 

the operating performance of the Company may be significantly affected.

In addition, the Group is required to procure a majority of its jet fuel domestically at PRC spot market prices. There are 

currently no effective means available to manage the Group’s exposure to the fluctuations of domestic jet fuel prices. 

However,  according  to  a  “Notice  on  Questions  about  Establishing  Linked  Pricing  Mechanism  for  Fuel  Surcharges  of 

Domestic Routes and Jet Fuel” jointly introduced by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Civil 

Aviation  Administration  of  China  in  2009,  airlines  may,  within  a  prescribed  scope,  make  its  own  decision  as  to  fuel 

surcharges for domestic routes and the pricing structure. The linked pricing mechanism, to a certain extent, reduces 

the Group’s exposure to fluctuation in jet fuel price.

XXIII. ANALYSIS ON MOVEMENTS IN EXCHANGE RATE AND OIL PRICE

Note:  The average central parity of USD to RMB publicized by the PBOC on each working day throughout 2016 is adopted as the exchange 

rate; the closing price of trading days throughout 2016 is adopted as Brent crude oil futures price (USD/barrel).  

2016/122016/022016/032016/012016/042016/052016/062016/072016/082016/092016/102016/116.66.46.26.87.0Trend of the Average Central Parity of USD to RMB in 20162016/122016/022016/032016/012016/042016/052016/062016/072016/082016/092016/102016/114030205060Trend of Brent Crude Oil Futures Prices in 2016Management Discussion and Analysis065

As of 31 December 2016, the Group’s financial assets and financial liabilities denominated in foreign currencies totaled 

to RMB3,042 million and RMB49,520 million, respectively, of which USD-denominated liabilities amounted to RMB42,877 

million.  During  the  reporting  period,  affected  by  decelerated  economic  growth  in  China,  appreciation  of  USD  and 

interest rate hike by Federal Reserve, the exchange rate of USD against RMB appreciated by 6.83%, the medium price 

increasing from 6.4936 at the end of last year to 6.9370 at the end of the reporting period. Fluctuations in the exchange 

rate of RMB against USD will have material impact on the finance expense of the Company. Assuming that other risk 

variables other than the exchange rate remain unchanged, every 1% appreciation (or depreciation) of the exchange rate 

of RMB to USD at 31 December 2016 will lead to an increase (or a decrease) of RMB305 million in the shareholders’ 

equity and net profit of the Group.

As  of  31  December  2016,  the  Group’s  jet  fuel  costs,  accounting  for  22.41%  of  its  operating  expenses,  constituted 

the  main  operating  expenses  of  the  Group.  During  the  reporting  period,  affected  by  a  reduction  in  output  by  OPEC, 

international crude oil prices rallied with Brent crude oil increasing from 37.22 USD/barrel at the beginning of the year 

to 56.82 USD/barrel at the end of the year. Assuming that the consumption of fuel remains unchanged, an increase or 

a decrease of every 10% in fuel price will result in the Group’s annual operating expenses increasing or decreasing by 

RMB2,380 million.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Management Discussion and AnalysisPlace
Time
12: 00 Global network

China Southern Airlines – To be an 
influential international airlines 
with an extensive network

We have a fleet of 702 aircraft, ranking first in Asia and endeavor 

to  create  a  strategic  layout  of  “Dual  Hubs”  of  Guangzhou  and 

Beijing. The Group operated more than 2,000 flights daily flying 

to over 224 destinations in over 40 countries and regions around 

the  world.  The  number  of  seats  put  into  the  market  is  up  to 

300,000. 

068

I. 

1. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF PROFIT DISTRIBUTION DURING THE REPORTING 
PERIOD
Formulation, implementation and amendment of the cash dividend policy
At the first extraordinary general meeting of 2013 held on 24 January 2013, the Company considered and approved the 
amendments to the Articles of Association of China Southern Airlines Company Limited, stipulating that “The Company 
adopts the following profit distribution policy:

Principles of profit distribution by the Company: Provided that the long-term and sustainable development of the Company 
are  ensured,  the  profit  distribution  policy  of  the  Company  should  pay  close  attention  to  ensuring  a  reasonable  return 
of investment to investors and establishing a firm intention of rewarding the shareholders, and such profit distribution 
policy should maintain its continuity and stability.

Ways of profit distribution by the Company: The Company may distribute dividends by way of cash, a combination of 
cash and shares or in other reasonable manners in compliance with laws and regulations.

Conditions  and  proportion  of  distribution  of  cash  dividends  by  the  Company:  Conditional  upon  the  Company  being 
profitable for the year and after allocation to the statutory common reserve fund and discretionary common reserve fund 
as required, and there are no exceptional matters including material investment plans or material cash outflows (material 
investment plans or material cash outflows refer to proposed external investments, acquisition of assets or purchase of 
equipment in the coming 12 months that in aggregate constitute expenditure exceeding 30% of the net assets of the 
Company as shown in the latest audited consolidated statements) and there has not incurred any material losses (losses 
in the amount exceeding 10% of the net assets of the Company as shown in the latest audited consolidated statements), 
the Company shall distribute cash dividends out of profit in an amount not less than 10% of the distributable profit for the 
year (i.e. profit realized for the year after making up for losses and allocation to reserve fund). The accumulated payment 
of dividend by way of cash for the last three years may not be less than 30% of the Company’s average distributable 
profit for the last three years. The accumulated payment of dividend by way of cash for the coming three years may not 
be less than 30% of the Company’s average distributable profit for such three years.

Intervals  for  profit  distribution  by  the  Company:  Provided  that  the  conditions  of  profit  distribution  are  met  and  the 
Company’s normal operation and sustainable development are ensured, the Company shall in principle distribute profit 
on an annual basis, and interim profit may also be distributed based on the profitability and capital requirement conditions 
of the Company.

Conditions of profit distribution by way of share dividends: Provided that the minimum proportion of distribution of cash 
dividends is met and reasonable scale of share capital and shareholding structure of the Company are ensured, and 
with  particular  attention  paid  on  keeping  the  steps  of  capital  expansion  in  pace  with  the  growth  in  operation  results, 
if there are special circumstances which prevent distribution by way of cash, the Company may consider distributing 
profit  by  way  of  share  dividends  as  a  return  to  investors  after  consideration  of  its  profitability  and  cash  flow  position 
and performance of the procedures required by the Articles of Association. Where the Company made a payment of 
dividend satisfied by an allotment of new shares or completed conversion of capital common reserve fund into capital, 
the Company may elect not to distribute dividend by way of cash in the same year, and that year is not counted in the 
three years as stated above in this Articles of Association.”

The profit distribution policy shall comply with the Articles of Association and the requirements of approval procedures 
with  clear  criteria  and  ratios  of  dividend  distribution  to  fully  protect  the  legitimate  interests  of  minority  investors  and 
the opinion shall be given by the independent directors. Any adjustment of the policy or any change of the terms and 
procedures shall comply with the applicable regulations and be undertaken with transparency.

Significant Events069

2. 

Plans and proposals for profit distribution and the conversion of capital reserve to share capital 
of the Company in the recent three years (including the reporting period)

Dividends 
distributed per 10 
shares (inclusive 
of applicable tax)

Transfers per 10 
shares (share)

Amount of 
cash dividends 
(inclusive of 
applicable tax)
(million)

Bonus shares distributed 
per 10 shares (share)

Unit: RMB

Profit  
attributable 
to the equity 
shareholders of 
the Company in 
the consolidated 
financial 
statements 
during the 
dividend year
(million)

Percentage of 
profit attributable 
to the equity 
shareholders of 
the Company in 
the consolidated 
financial 
statements (%)

0
0
0

1.0
0.8
0.4

0
0
0

982
785
393

5,044
3,736
1,777

19.47
21.01
22.12

Year

2016
2015
2014

II.  PROPOSALS FOR PROFIT DISTRIBUTION AND THE TRANSFER OF 

CAPITAL RESERVE TO SHARE CAPITAL FOR THE YEAR OF 2016

No interim dividend for the year of 2016 was distributed by the Company, and there was no issue of shares by way of conversion 
of capital reserve.

The Board recommends the payment of a final dividend of RMB1 (inclusive of applicable tax) per 10 shares for the year ended 
31 December 2016, totaling approximately RMB982 million based on the Company’s 9,817,567,000 issued shares. A resolution 
for the dividend payment will be submitted for consideration at the 2016 annual general meeting of the Company. The dividend 
will be denominated and declared in RMB and payable in RMB to holders of A shares, and in HKD to holders of H shares. The 
profit distribution proposal is subject to shareholders’ approval at the general meeting, and if approved, the final dividend is 
expected to be paid to the shareholders by the Company on or before Thursday, 31 August 2017.

The independent Directors unanimously agreed that the aforesaid proposal for profit distribution not only takes the shareholders’ 
interests into consideration, but also meets the actual situation of the Company and is beneficial to the stable development of 
the Company. The proposal has hence been approved and submitted to the general meeting for review.

III.  MATERIAL LITIGATION, ARBITRATION AND MATTERS COMMONLY 

QUESTIONED BY MEDIA

During the reporting period, there was no material litigation, arbitration and matters commonly questioned by media.

IV.  CAPITAL OCCUPIED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD AND THE 

CLEARING PROGRESS

During the reporting period, the Company did not have any capital occupied or clearing progress for the capital.

V.  ASSET TRANSACTION, CORPORATE MERGER AND ACQUISITION
On 2 February 2016, the Company entered into the Transfer Agreement between China Southern Air Holding Company and 
the Company on Transferring 100% Equity of Southern Airlines Group Import and Export Trading Company with CSAHC, our 
controlling shareholder, by which the Company purchased 100% equity of Southern Airlines Group Import and Export Trading 
Company from CSAHC at the price of RMB400,570,400.00. For details of the above-mentioned transaction, please refer to the 
relevant announcements published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News, Securities Times and the website 
of Shanghai Stock Exchange on 3 February 2016. Above transactions have been completed in August 2016.

On 26 April 2016, Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into the Purchase Contract for 10 B737-800 Aircraft 
with the Boeing Company, by which Xiamen Airlines agreed to purchase 10 B737-800 aircraft from the Boeing Company. For 
details of the above-mentioned transaction, please refer to the relevant announcements published by the Company on China 
Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News, Securities Times and the website of Shanghai Stock Exchange on 27 April 2016.

Significant EventsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
070

On 27 July 2016, Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into the Purchase Contract for 6 B787-9 Aircraft with 
the Boeing Company, by which Xiamen Airlines agreed to purchase 6 B787-9 aircraft from the Boeing Company. For details of 
the above-mentioned transaction, please refer to the relevant announcements published by the Company on China Securities 
Journal, Shanghai Securities News, Securities Times and the website of Shanghai Stock Exchange on 28 July 2016.

On 12 October 2016, the Company entered into the Purchase Contract for 12 B787-9 Aircraft and Aircraft Disposal Contract with 
the Boeing Company, by which the Company respectively agreed to purchase 12 B787-9 aircraft from the Boeing Company 
and  agreed  to  sell  4  B777-200  aircraft  and  2  standby  engines  to  the  Boeing  Company.  For  details  of  the  above-mentioned 
transaction,  please  refer  to  the  relevant  announcements  published  by  the  Company  on  China  Securities  Journal,  Shanghai 
Securities News, Securities Times and the website of Shanghai Stock Exchange on 13 October 2016.

On  23  December  2016,  the  Company  entered  into  the  Capital  Increase  Agreement  with  CSAHC,  Xiamen  Airlines,  Shantou 
Airlines, Zhuhai Airlines and Guangzhou Nanland Air Catering Company Limited, under which the Company, in the form of cash, 
increased the capital of Finance Company by RMB169,888,917.96. Upon capital increase, equity interest held by the Company 
in the Finance Company increased from 21.089% to 25.277%. For details of the above-mentioned transaction, please refer to 
related announcements issued by the Company on Shanghai Stock Exchange on 24 December 2016.

VI.  MATERIAL CONNECTED TRANSACTIONS
1.  Connected transactions related to daily operation

During  the  reporting  period,  those  connected  transactions  related  to  daily  operation  were  mainly  the  connected 
transactions  entered  into  between  the  Company  and  CSAHC  or  its  subsidiaries  in  its  ordinary  and  usual  course  of 
business, specific details are as follows:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

On 11 November 2008, the Company and SACM entered into Intangible Assets Franchise Agreement. For details, 
please refer to H Share Announcement of Company published on the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange 
on 12 November 2008.

On  28  September  2009,  the  Company,  CSAHC,  MTU  AERO  ENGINES  GMBH  and  Zhuhai  MTU  entered  into  a 
continuing connected transaction. For details, please refer to the Connected Transaction Announcement published 
on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News and the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 29 
September 2009.

On  8  November  2013,  the  Company  renewed  the  Passenger  and  Cargo  Sales  Agency  Services  Framework 
Agreement with GSC. For details, please refer to the Announcement of the Daily Connected Transaction of the 
Company published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News and Securities Times and the website 
of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 9 November 2013.

On 26 December 2013, the Financial Services Framework Agreement entered into between the Company and 
SA Finance was considered and passed at 2013 second extraordinary general meeting. For details, please refer 
to  the  Announcement  of  Resolutions  Passed  at  2013  Second  Extraordinary  General  Meeting  of  the  Company 
published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News and Securities Times and the website of the 
Shanghai Stock Exchange on 27 December 2013.

On 9 January 2014, the Company entered into the Land Lease Agreement and the Property Lease Agreement 
with CSAHC. For details, please refer to the Announcement of the Daily Connected Transaction of the Company 
published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News and Securities Times and the website of the 
Shanghai Stock Exchange on 10 January 2014.

On  21  November  2014,  the  Company  and  Finance  Company  entered  into  the  electronic  aviation  passenger 
comprehensive  insurance  four  parties  cooperation  agreements.  For  details,  please  refer  to  the  H  Share 
Announcement of Company published on the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 22 November 2014.

On 29 December 2014, the Company renewed the Property Management Framework Agreement with CSAGPMC. 
For details, please refer to the H Share Announcement of Company published on the website of the Shanghai 
Stock Exchange on 30 December 2014.

Significant Events071

8. 

9. 

On 29 December 2014, the Company renewed the Property Lease Agreement with CSAHC. For details, please 
refer to the H Share Announcement of Company published on the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 
30 December 2014.

On  30  June  2015,  the  Supplemental  Agreement  to  the  Financial  Services  Framework  Agreement  entered  into 
between  the  Company  and  Finance  Company  was  considered  and  passed  at  2014  annual  general  meeting. 
For  details,  please  refer  to  the  Announcement  of  the  Daily  Connected  Transaction  of  the  Company  and  the 
Announcement  of  Resolutions  Passed  at  2014  Annual  General  Meeting  of  the  Company  published  on  China 
Securities  Journal,  Shanghai  Securities  News  and  Securities  Times  and  the  website  of  the  Shanghai  Stock 
Exchange on 1 July 2015.

10.  On 13 August 2015, the Company entered into the Supplemental Agreement to the Property Lease Agreement 
with CSAHC.  For  details,  please  refer  to  the  H  Share  Announcement  of  Company  published  on  the  website  of 
the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 14 August 2015.

11.  On  19  November  2015,  the  Company  and  Finance  Company  entered  into  the  Insurance  Business  Platform 
Cooperation Framework Agreement. For details, please refer to the H Share Announcement of Company published 
on the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 20 November 2015.

12.  On 30 December 2015, the Company renewed the Media Service Framework Agreement with SACM. For details, 
please refer to the H Share Announcement of Company published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities 
News and Securities Times and the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 31 December 2015.

13.  On  30  December  2015,  the  Company  renewed  the  Catering  Services  Framework  Agreement  with  SACC.  For 
details, please refer to the H Share Announcement of Company published on the website of the Shanghai Stock 
Exchange on 31 December 2015.

14.  On  29  August  2016,  the  Company  and  the  Finance  Company  entered  into  the  Financial  Services  Framework 
Agreement. For details, please refer to the Announcement of the Daily Connected Transaction of the Company 
published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News and Securities Times and the website of the 
Shanghai Stock Exchange on 30 August 2016.

15.  On 15 December 2016, the Company entered into the Property Sale and Purchase Agreement with Sanya China 
Southern  Air  Real  Property  Development  Co.,  Ltd.  For  details,  please  refer  to  the  H  Share  Announcement  of 
Company published on the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 16 December 2016.

16.  On 16 December 2016, the Company and GSC eneterned into the Supplemental Agreement to Passenger and 
Cargo Sales Agency Services Framework Agreement and the Passenger and Cargo Sales And Ground Services 
Framework Agreement. For details, please refer to the Announcement of the Daily Connected Transaction of the 
Company published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News and Securities Times and the website 
of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 17 December 2016.

17.  On  16  December  2016,  the  Company  entered  into  the  Property  and  Land  Lease  Framework  Agreement  with 
CSAHC.  For  details,  please  refer  to  the  Announcement  of  the  Daily  Connected  Transaction  of  the  Company 
published on China Securities Journal, Shanghai Securities News and Securities Times and the website of the 
Shanghai Stock Exchange on 17 December 2016.

18.  On 23 December 2016, the Company entered into the Capital Increase Agreement with CSAHC, Xiamen Airlines, 
Shantou  Airlines,  Zhuhai  Airlines  and  Guangzhou  Nanland  Air  Catering  Company  Limited  to  increase  their 
respective capital contribution to the Finance Company. For details, please refer to the H Share Announcement 
of Company published on the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 24 December 2016.

The terms of the above connected transactions were fair and reasonable and were entered into on normal commercial 
terms.  The  prices  of  the  relevant  connected  transactions  were  determined  with  reference  to  the  market  price,  which 
were no less favourable than those available to independent third parties. The relevant transactions will not affect the 
independence of the Company and were in the interests of the Company and the shareholders as a whole.

Significant EventsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016072

In 2016, the daily connected transactions of the Company entered into are as follows:

Transaction

Financial service (balance of deposits)
Financial service (balance of borrowings)
Engine repairs, renovation and maintenance
Media resources services
Import and export agent services
Assets leasing
Air catering services
Agency and production services
Property management

2. 

Loans due to or from connected parties

Transaction
amount 
during 2016

Unit: RMB million

Annual cap for 
the year 2016

3,759
0
1,877
71
60
190
124
222
70

8,000
8,000
2,600
119
160
190
152
260
92

Unit: RMB million

Funds provided to connected 
parties

Funds provided to the listed company 
by connected parties

Balance 
at the 
beginning 
of the 
period

Balance 
at the end 
of the 
period

Balance 
at the 
beginning 
of the 
period

Incurred 
amount

Incurred 
during the 
period

Repaid 
during the 
Period

Balance 
at the end 
of the 
period

0

0

0

105

105

(105)

105

CSAHC provided entrusted loan to the Company.

Connected 
parties

Connected 
relationship

CSAHC

Controlling 
shareholder

Reasons for connected 
debts and liabilities

VII.  MAJOR CONTRACTS
1. 

Trust, Sub-contracting and Lease
(1)  Trust

During the reporting period, the Company did not enter into any trust arrangement.

(2)  Contract

During the reporting period, the Company did not enter into any sub-contracting arrangement.

(3)  Lease

Save  for  the  connected  transactions  disclosed  above  and  the  lease  of  certain  land  parcels  and  properties  of 
CSAHC by the Company as a leasee, the Group also acquired aircraft by way of operating lease and finance 
lease. As at 31 December 2016, there were 244 and 204 aircraft under operating lease and under finance lease, 
respectively.

Significant Events 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
073

2.  Guarantee

(1) 

Since  the  training  cost  is  significant,  certain  trainee  pilots  of  the  Company  and  Xiamen  Airlines,  its  subsidiary, 
have to procure personal loans to cover their training costs and miscellaneous expenses in the school. As such, 
the Company and Xiamen Airlines applied personal loans for some self-sponsored trainee pilots and provided 
joint liability guarantee for such loans, respectively. After such trainee pilots complete their study and training, 
the Company and Xiamen Airlines will enter into services contract with them, respectively and provide them with 
an option to make early repayment or repay by instalment payment. At the 2006 Annual General Meeting of the 
Company held on 28 June 2007, the Board was authorized to approve joint liability guarantee for the cumulative 
amount of not more than RMB100 million in each fiscal year. At the 2007 Annual General Meeting of the Company 
held on 25 June 2008, the Board was authorized to approve joint liability guarantee for the cumulative amount 
of not more than RMB400 million in each fiscal year.

In accordance with the authorization granted at the general meeting, the Board passed the resolutions in 2007, 
2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively, and agreed to provide a joint liability guarantee for the loans applied by 
self-sponsored trainee pilots for the purpose of covering their training costs and miscellaneous expenses in the 
school who were recruited in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, with an aggregate amount of RMB90,858,000, 
not  exceeding  RMB213,600,000,  not  exceeding  RMB184,750,000,  not  exceeding  RMB179,269,600  and  not 
exceeding RMB83,850,000 per annum, respectively for the years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The period 
of guarantee shall begin on the date when the relevant banks grant a loan to the trainee pilots and ending two 
years after the maturity date of such loans. Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary of the Company, also passed a resolution 
on 29 December 2009 to provide a joint liability guarantee for the loans applied by its partial self-sponsored trainee 
pilots. The maximum amount of personal loans available to be applied by each trainee pilot shall be RMB500,000 
and the aggregate amount of guarantee provided by Xiamen Airlines shall be not more than RMB100 million for 
the period ended 31 December 2011. The guaranteed loan shall be used for the purpose of pilot training. The 
scope of the joint liability guarantee covers the principal loan and interests, liquidated damages, damages and 
cost incurred for recovering the principal loan applied by the trainee pilot. The period of guarantee shall begin 
on  the  date  when  the  loan  is  extended  to  the  pilot  and  ending  on  the  date  of  repayment  of  the  principal  and 
interests of the loans.

As at 31 December 2016, the banks have granted a loan to certain trainee pilots, of which RMB409 million has 
been guaranteed by the Group, in which RMB37.7 million has been guaranteed by Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary 
of the Company. A small number of trainee pilots had quitted the training programme as they failed to complete 
the training programme or due to other reasons, and part of them were unable to repay the principal and interests 
of the bank loans, the Company fulfilled its joint liability guarantee obligation for such trainee pilots, the aggregate 
amount of which was RMB4 million, and the amount of Xiamen Airlines was nil. The Group has also tried its best 
to actively to recover the relevant outstanding bank loans and the accrued interests through various ways.

(2) 

In  order  to  broaden  financing  channels,  reduce  financing  costs  of  Hebei  Airlines  and  maintain  the  steady 
and  healthy  development,  the  Company  reviewed  and  approved  to  authorize  Xiamen  Airlines  to  provide  loan 
guarantees, with the cumulative balance of guarantees of no more than RMB3.5 billion for Hebei Airlines during 
the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 at the 2014 annual general meeting of the Company on 30 June 
2015. The Board considered and approved to grant Xiamen Airlines rights to provide loan guarantee for Hebei 
Airlines with accumulated guarantee balance not more than RMB3.5 billion during the period commencing from 
1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017, it was submitted to the shareholders’ meeting for consideration. On 27 May 2016, 
the resolution was passed at the 2015 annual general meeting. During the reporting period, the balance of loan 
guarantee provided by Xiamen Airlines to Hebei Airlines was RMB0.8 billion.

(3) 

On  29  December  2015,  in  order  to  reduce  aircraft  leasing  costs,  the  Board  considered  and  approved  to:  (1) 
increase 10 aircraft with SPV as sub-leasing model and allow SPV to be the first tenant and sub-lessor of the 10 
aircraft;  (2)  provide  external  guarantees  for  SPV,  with  total  guarantee  amount  not  exceeding  USD115,435,900. 
As at the end of the reporting period, the Company provided the SPV with total guarantee of USD49.31 million.

Significant EventsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016074

3.  Other Major Contract or Transaction

On 26 April 2016, Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into the Purchase Contract for 10 B737-800 
Aircraft with the Boeing Company, by which Xiamen Airlines agreed to purchase 10 B737-800 aircraft from the Boeing 
Company. Such aircraft purchase transaction can only take effect subject to approval of relevant government authorities.

On 27 July 2016, Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into the Purchase Contract for 6 B787-9 Aircraft 
with the Boeing Company, by which Xiamen Airlines agreed to purchase 6 B787-9 aircraft from the Boeing Company. 
Such aircraft purchase transaction can only take effect subject to approval of relevant government authorities.

On 12 October 2016, the Company entered into the Purchase Contract for 12 B787-9 Aircraft with the Boeing Company, 
by  which  Xiamen  Airlines  agreed  to  purchase  12  B787-9  aircraft  from  the  Boeing  Company.  Such  aircraft  purchase 
transaction can only take effect subject to approval of relevant government authorities.

VIII.  APPOINTMENT AND DISMISSAL OF AUDITORS
At 2015 annual general meeting of the Company on 27 May 2016, the Company has considered and approved the appointment 
of KPMG Huazhen LLP to provide professional services to the Company for its domestic financial reporting and internal control 
reporting,  U.S.  financial  reporting  and  internal  control  for  the  year  2016  and  KPMG  to  provide  professional  services  to  the 
Company for its Hong Kong financial reporting for the year 2016, and authorized the Board to determine its remuneration.

Former

Current

Unit: RMB million

Name of the domestic accounting firm

Remuneration of the domestic accounting firm
Term of service of the domestic accounting firm
Name of the international accounting firm
Term of service of the international accounting firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers 
Zhong Tian LLP
15.8
3
PricewaterhouseCoopers
3

KPMG Huazhen LLP

13.0
1
KPMG
1

Accounting firm for audit of internal control

Name

KPMG Huazhen LLP

IX.  UNDERTAKING
Undertakings  given  by  CSAHC,  the  controlling  shareholder  of  the  Company,  during  the  reporting  period  or  existing  to  the 
reporting period are as follow:

1.  Undertaking Related to Share Reform

Upon completion of the Share Reform Plan, and subject to compliance with the relevant laws and regulations of the PRC, 
CSAHC will support the Company in respect of the formulation and implementation of a management equity incentive 
system. It has been strictly performed.

Significant Events 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
075

2.  Other Undertaking

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

The Company and CSAHC entered into the “Property Compensation Agreement” on 22 May 1997, pursuant to 
which CSAHC agreed to compensate the Company for any losses or damages resulting from any challenge to or 
interference with the Company’s rights in the use of the land and buildings leased from CSAHC. It’s a long-term 
undertaking, and it has been strictly performed.

CSAHC  and  the  Company  entered  into  a  Separation  Agreement  with  regard  to  the  definition  and  allocation  of 
the assets and liabilities between CSAHC and the Company on 25 March 1995 (the agreement was amended 
on  22  May  1997).  According  to  the  Separation  Agreement,  CSAHC  and  the  Company  agreed  to  compensate 
the other party for the claims, liabilities and costs borne by such party as a result of the business, assets and 
liabilities held or inherited by CSAHC and the Company pursuant to the Separation Agreement. It’s a long-term 
undertaking, and it has been strictly performed.

In respect of the connected transaction entered into between the Company and CSAHC on 14 August 2007 in 
relation to the sale and purchase of various assets, the application for building title certificates for eight properties 
of Air Catering (with a total gross floor area of 8,013.99 square meters) and 11 properties of the Training Centre 
(with a total gross floor area of 13,948.25 square meters) have not been made for various reasons. In this regard, 
CSAHC  has  issued  an  undertaking  letter,  undertaking  that:  (1)  the  above  title  certificates  should  be  obtained 
by CSAHC by the end of 2008; (2) all the costs and expenses arising from the application of the relevant title 
certificates would be borne by CSAHC; and (3) CSAHC would be liable for all the losses suffered by the Company 
as a result of the above two undertakings, including but not limited to: A) any production losses arising from the 
lack  of  title  certificates,  B)  any  other  losses  occasioned  by  the  potential  risk  arising  from  the  outstanding  title 
certificates. The application for the title certificates mentioned above remained outstanding for various reasons. 
Therefore,  CSAHC  issued  an  undertaking  letter,  undertaking  that  it  would  attend  to  and  complete  the  above-
mentioned obligation before 31 December 2019 and would compensate the Company for any losses arising from 
the undertakings.

The  relevant  undertakings  under  the  Financial  Services  Framework  Agreement  between  the  Company  and 
Finance  Company:  A.  Finance  Company  is  a  duly  incorporated  enterprise  group  finance  company  under  the 
“Administrative Measures for Enterprise Group Finance Companies” and the other relevant rules and regulations, 
whose  principal  business  is  to  provide  finance  management  services,  such  as  deposit  and  financing  for  the 
members  of  the  Group;  and  the  relevant  capital  flows  are  kept  within  the  Group;  B.  the  operations  of  Finance 
Company  are  in  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  the  relevant  laws  and  regulations  and  it  is  running  well, 
therefore  the  deposits  placed  with  and  loans  from  Finance  Company  of  the  Company  are  definitely  secure. 
In  future,  Finance  Company  will  continue  to  operate  in  strict  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  the  relevant 
laws and regulations; C. in respect of the Company’s deposits with and borrowings from Finance Company, the 
Company will continue to implement its internal procedures in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations 
and  the  Articles  of  Association,  and  CSAHC  will  not  intervene  in  the  relevant  decision  making  process  of  the 
Company; and D. CSAHC will continue to fully respect the rights of the Company to manage its own operations, 
and will not intervene in the daily business operations of the Company. It’s a long-term undertaking, and it has 
been strictly performed.

(5) 

On  8  July  2015,  the  Company  received  an  undertaking  letter  from  CSAHC,  the  controlling  shareholder  of  the 
Company, details of which are set out as follows: 

Given  the  recent  abnormal  fluctuation  of  the  stock  market  and  based  on  its  confidence  in  the  development 
prospects of the Company as well as the recognition of the values of the Company, CSAHC makes the following 
undertakings so as to facilitate the sustainable healthy development of the Company and safeguard the interests 
of the investors of the Company: (1) CSAHC will not reduce its shareholding in the Company during the abnormal 
fluctuation  of  the  stock  market;  (2)  CSAHC  will  take  measures  to  increase  its  shareholding  in  the  Company 
in  line  with  market  conditions  in  due  course  as  permitted  by  relevant  laws  and  regulations;  and  (3)  CSAHC 
will  continuously  extend  its  support  to  the  operational  development  of  the  Company,  with  an  aim  to  assist  the 
Company  in  improving  operational  results  and  maximizing  investor  returns  of  the  Company.  It’s  a  long-term 
undertaking, and it has been strictly performed.

Significant EventsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016076

The Board hereby presents this annual report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2016 of 
the Group to the shareholders of the Company (the “Shareholders”).

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES, OPERATING RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION
The Group is principally engaged in airlines operations. The Group also operates certain airlines related businesses, including 
provision of aircraft maintenance and air catering services. The Group is one of the largest airlines in China. In 2016, the Group 
ranked first among all Chinese airlines in terms of number of passengers carried, number of scheduled flights per week, number 
of hours flown, number of routes and size of aircraft fleet. The Group has prepared the financial statements for the year ended 
31 December 2016 in accordance with IFRSs. Please refer to pages 140 to 231 of this annual report for details.

DIVIDENDS
In 2016, the Group recorded the operating revenue of RMB114,981 million and the profit attributable to the equity shareholders 
of the Company of RMB5,044 million. The Board is pleased to recommend the payment of a final dividend of RMB1 (inclusive 
of  applicable  tax)  per  10  shares  for  the  year  ended  31  December  2016,  totalling  approximately  RMB982  million  based  on 
the Company’s 9,817,567,000 issued shares. A resolution for the dividend payment will be submitted for consideration at the 
2016 annual general meeting of the Company. The dividend will be denominated and declared in RMB and payable in RMB 
to holders of A share, and in HKD to holders of H shares. The profit distribution proposal is subject to shareholders’ approval 
at the general meeting, and if approved, the final dividend is expected to be paid to the shareholders on or before Thursday, 
31 August 2017.

FIVE-YEAR SUMMARY
A summary of the results and the assets and liabilities of the Group prepared under IFRSs for the five-year period ended 31 
December 2016 are set out on page 236 of this annual report.

BANK LOANS AND OTHER BORROWINGS
Details of the bank loans, short term financing bills and other borrowings of the Group are set out in note 36 to the financial 
statements prepared under IFRSs.

INTEREST CAPITALISATION
For the year ended 31 December 2016, RMB624 million (2015: RMB382 million) was capitalised as the cost of construction in 
progress and property, plant and equipment in the financial statements prepared under IFRSs.

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Property,  plant  and  equipment  of  the  Group  and  movements  of  property,  plant  and  equipment  during  the  year  ended  31 
December 2016 are set out in note 20 to the financial statements prepared under IFRSs.

MAJOR CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS
The Group’s aggregate purchase from the five largest suppliers did not exceed 30% of the Group’s total purchase in 2016.

The Group’s aggregate operating revenue with its five largest customers did not exceed 30% of the Group’s total operating 
revenue in 2016.

Report of Directors077

RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS
The Group understands that it is important to maintain good relationship with its suppliers and customers to fulfill its long-term 
goals  and  maintain  the  leading  position  in  the  market.  To  maintain  its  core  competitiveness  and  brand  dominant  status,  the 
Group aims at delivering constantly high standards of quality in the service to its customers. During the reporting period, there 
was no material and significant dispute between the Group and its suppliers and/or customers.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Group has following major customers and suppliers:

Name of customers

Customer 1
Customer 2
Customer 3
Customer 4
Customer 5

Total

Name of suppliers

China National Aviation Fuel Group
South China Blue Sky Aviation Fuel  

Co., Ltd

Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance 

Engineering Co., Ltd

MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Company Limited
INTERNATIONAL AERO ENGINES, AG

Total

Operating 
revenue

Percentage as 
total operating 
revenue (%)

Sales to 
related parties

Unit: RMB million

Percentage as 
total operating 
revenue (%)

671
124
120
109
109

1,133

Purchase

12,072

7,305

2,061
1,877
1,270

24,585

0.58
0.11
0.10
0.09
0.09

0.97

/
/
/
/
/

/

/
/
/
/
/

/

Percentage as 
total purchase (%)

Purchase from 
related parties

Percentage as 
total purchase (%)

Unit: RMB million

21.77

13.17

3.72
3.38
2.29

44.33

–

–

–
1,877
–

1,877

–

–

–
3.38
–

3.38

Based  on  nature  of  the  Group’s  business,  the  Group  has  not  relied  on  major  supplier  or  customers.  For  details  about  the 
customer  services  of  the  Group,  please  refer  to  the  analysis  on  market  and  service  under  “Management  Discussion  and 
Analysis” in this Report.

TAXATION
Details of taxation of the Group are set out in notes 17 and 30 to the financial statements prepared under IFRSs.

Enterprise Income Tax of Overseas Non-Resident Enterprises
In accordance with the relevant tax laws and regulations in the PRC, the Company is obliged to withhold and pay PRC enterprise 
income tax on behalf of non-resident enterprise shareholders at a tax rate of 10% when the Company distributes any dividends 
to  non-resident  enterprise  shareholders.  As  such,  any  H  Shares  of  the  Company  which  are  not  registered  in  the  name(s)  of 
individual(s)  (which,  for  this  purpose,  includes  shares  registered  in  the  name  of  Hong  Kong  Securities  Clearing  Company 
Nominees Limited, other nominees, trustees, or other organisations or groups) shall be deemed to be H Shares held by non-
resident enterprise shareholder(s), and the PRC enterprise income tax shall be withheld from any dividends payable thereon. 
Non-resident enterprise shareholders may wish to apply for a tax refund (if any) in accordance with the relevant requirements, 
such as tax agreements (arrangements), upon receipt of any dividends.

Report of DirectorsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
078

Individual Income Tax of Overseas Individual Shareholders
In accordance with the relevant tax laws and regulations in the PRC, when non-foreign investment companies of the mainland 
which are listed in Hong Kong distribute dividends to their shareholders, the individual shareholders in general will be subject 
to a withholding tax rate of 10% without making any application for the entitlement for the above-mentioned tax rate. However, 
the Company is a foreign investment company and, as confirmed by the relevant tax authorities, according to the Circular on 
Certain  Issues  Concerning  the  Policies  of  Individual  Income  Tax  (Cai  Shui  Zi  [1994]  No.  020)  (《關於個人所得稅若干政策問
題的通知》(財稅字[1994]020號)) promulgated by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on 13 May 
1994, overseas individuals are, as an interim measure, exempted from the PRC individual income tax for dividends or bonuses 
received from foreign investment enterprises.

RESERVES
Movements in the reserves of the Company and the Group during the year are set out in note 56 and note 47 to the financial 
statements prepared under IFRSs.

SUBSIDIARIES
Details of the principal subsidiaries of the Company are set out in note 24 to the financial statements prepared under IFRSs.

PURCHASE, SALE OR REDEMPTION OF SHARES
Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries purchased, sold or redeemed any Shares during the year ended 31 December 
2016.

PRE-EMPTIVE RIGHTS
None of the provisions of the Articles of Association provides for any pre-emptive rights requiring the Company to offer new 
Shares to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholdings.

PERMITTED INDEMNITY PROVISION
The  Company  has  arranged  for  appropriate  insurance  cover  for  Directors’  and  officers’  liabilities  in  respect  of  legal  actions 
against its Directors and senior management arising out of corporate activities.

AUDIT COMMITTEE
The audit committee of the Company has reviewed the audited financial statement of the Group for the year ended 31 December 
2016.

THE MODEL CODE
Having made specific enquiries with all the Directors, the Directors have for the year ended 31 December 2016 complied with 
the Model Code as set out in Appendix 10 of the Listing Rules.

The Company has adopted a code of conduct which is no less stringent than the Model Code regarding securities transactions 
of the Directors.

COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE PROVISIONS OF THE CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE CODE
In the opinion of the Board, the Group has complied with the code provisions of the Corporate Governance Code as set out 
in Appendix 14 of the Listing Rules for the year ended 31 December 2016.

Report of Directors079

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS
Laws and regulations that have a significant impact on the operations of the Group include: Civil Aviation Law of the People’s 
Republic  of  China,  Opinions  of  the  State  Council  on  Promoting  the  Development  of  the  Civil  Aviation  Industry,  Regulation 
on  the  Civil  Airport  Administration,  Regulation  of  the  People’s  Republic  of  China  on  Civil  Aviation  Security,  Provisions  on 
the  Administration  of  Flight  Procedures  and  Minimum  Operation  Standards  for  Civil  Airports,  Provisions  of  the  Civil  Aviation 
Administration of China on the Administration of the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, Provisions of China’s Civil Aviation 
Business Permits for Domestic Routes and Provisions on the Business License for Public Air Transport Enterprises.

During the year ended 31 December 2016, the Group has complied with the relevant laws and regulations that have a significant 
impact on the operations of the Group.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND PERFORMANCE
The Group considers the importance of environmental affairs and believes business development and environment affairs are 
highly  related.  The  Company  pursued  green  development,  and  continued  to  increase  investments  and  improvement  efforts 
in  terms  fleet  optimization,  aircraft  refitting,  route  optimization,  low-carbon  travel  and  new  energy  application.  We  vigorously 
promoted  energy  conservation  and  emission  reduction.  As  a  result,  25,000  tonnes  of  aviation  fuel  were  saved  and  78,000 
tonnes of CO2 emission were reduced during the year.

DIRECTORS AND SUPERVISORS’ INTERESTS IN TRANSACTION, 
ARRANGEMENT OR CONTRACT OF SIGNIFICANCE
Save as disclosed in the section headed “Connected Transactions” below, neither Director/Supervisors nor entity connected 
with the Directors/Supervisors had a material interest, either directly or indirectly, in any transaction, arrangement or contract 
of significance to the business of the Group subsisting at any time during the year ended 31 December 2016 or at the end of 
the year to which the Company, its holding company, or any of its subsidiaries was a party.

DIRECTORS AND SUPERVISORS’ RIGHTS TO ACQUIRE SHARES OR 
DEBENTURES
At no time during the year ended 31 December 2016 was the Company or any of its subsidiaries a party to any arrangement 
that  would  enable  the  Directors/Supervisors  to  acquire  benefits  by  means  of  acquisition  of  shares  in,  or  debentures  of,  the 
Company  or  any  other  body  corporate,  and  none  of  the  Directors/Supervisors  or  any  of  their  spouses  or  children  under  the 
age of 18 were granted any right to subscribe for the equity or debt securities of the Company or any other body corporate 
or had exercised any such right.

DIRECTORS AND SUPERVISORS’ INTEREST IN COMPETING BUSINESS
As at 31 December 2016, none of the Directors/Supervisors or any of their respective associates had engaged in or had any 
interest in any business which competes or is likely to compete, either directly or indirectly, with the business of the Group.

SUFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC FLOAT
According  to  the  information  publicly  available  to  the  Company,  and  within  the  knowledge  of  the  Directors  as  at  the  latest 
practicable date prior to the issue of this annual report, the Company had maintained sufficient public float as required by the 
Listing Rules throughout the year ended 31 December 2016.

Report of DirectorsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016080

CONNECTED TRANSACTIONS
The Company entered into certain connected transactions with CSAHC and other connected persons from time to time. Details 
of the connected transactions of the Company conducted in 2016 which are required to be disclosed herein under the Listing 
Rules, are as follows:

(1)  De-merger Agreement

The De-merger Agreement dated 25 March 1995 (such agreement was amended by the Amendment Agreement No.1 
dated 22 May 1997) was entered into between CSAHC and the Company for the purpose of defining and allocating the 
assets and liabilities between CSAHC and the Company. Under the De-merger Agreement, CSAHC and the Company 
have agreed to indemnify the other party against claims, liabilities and expenses incurred by such other party relating to 
the businesses, assets and liabilities held or assumed by CSAHC or the Company pursuant to the De-merger Agreement.

Neither the Company nor CSAHC has made any payments in respect of such indemnification obligations from the date 
of the De-merger Agreement up to the date of this annual report.

(2)  Continuing  Connected  Transactions  between  the  Company  and  CSAHC  (or  their  respective 

subsidiaries)
SAIETC
A. 
On 9 January 2014, the Company and SAIETC entered into a new import and export agency framework agreement 
(the  “Import  and  Export  Agency  Framework  Agreement”)  to  renew  the  continuing  connected  transactions 
contemplated therein for a fixed term of three years commencing from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016. 
Pursuant to the Import and Export Agency Framework Agreement, SAIETC agreed to provide import and export 
services  and  the  relevant  lease  services,  customs  clearance  services,  customs  declaration  and  inspection 
services,  and  the  relevant  storage,  transportation  and  insurance  agency  services,  and  tendering  and  agency 
services to the Group. In relation to the service fee charged for import and export services, both parties agreed 
that such fee shall not be higher than the prevailing market rate charged by several trading companies of certain 
airlines  companies  in  the  PRC  for  similar  services.  In  relation  to  the  service  fee  charged  for  custom  clearing, 
custom declaration and inspection, and the relevant storage, transportation and insurance services, both parties 
agreed  that  such  fee  charged  shall  not  be  higher  than  the  prevailing  market  rate  charged  for  similar  services 
provided by independent third party service providers in the flight equipment logistics transportation market in the 
PRC. In relation to the service fee charged for the tendering and agency services, it is required to be determined 
in accordance with the fee standard prescribed by the State for this kind of tendering and agency services from 
time to time. During the period of the Import and Export Agency Framework Agreement, the annual cap are set 
at RMB160 million per annum.

SAIETC was a former wholly-owned subsidiary of CSAHC. In August 2016, since SAIETC has become a wholly-
owned subsidiary of the Company, the transactions between the Company and SAIETC under Import and Export 
Agency Framework Agreement are not considered as the connected transactions of the Company. Prior to that, 
the agency fee incurred by the Group in respect of the above import and export services was RMB60 million.

B. 

SACM, which is 40% owned by the Company and 60% owned by CSAHC
On 30 December 2015, the Company renewed the media services framework agreement (the “Media Services 
Framework  Agreement”)  with  SACM,  for  a  term  of  three  years  commencing  from  1  January  2016.  Pursuant 
to  the  agreement,  the  Company  has  appointed  SACM  to  provide  advertising  agency  services,  the  plotting, 
purchase and production of in-flight TV and movie program agency services, channel publicity and production 
services, public relations services relating to recruitments of air-hostess, and services relating to the distribution 
of newspapers and magazines. The service fees for the media services to be provided to members of the Group 
by SACM and its subsidiaries are determined, among others, the prevailing market price. Pricing are based on 
prevailing market price and agreed upon between the parties for each transaction on arm’s length negotiations 
in accordance with the following pricing mechanism: (a) if there are prevailing market prices for same or similar 
types of services in the same or similar locations of the services being provided, the pricing of the services shall 
follow  such  prevailing  market  price;  or  (b)  if  there  are  no  such  prevailing  market  price  in  the  same  or  similar 
locations, the service to be provided by SACM Group shall be on terms which are no less favourable than the 
terms  which  can  be  obtained  by  the  Group  from  independent  third  parties  within  the  PRC  market.  The  annual 
caps under the Media Services Framework Agreement for each financial year ended 31 December 2016, 2017 
and 2018 is amounting to RMB118.5 million respectively.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the media fees incurred by the Group for the media services amounted 
to RMB71 million.

Report of Directors081

C. 

Finance Company, which is 66% owned by CSAHC, 21% owned by the Company and 13% 
owned in aggregate by four subsidiaries of the Company
(a) 

On 8 November 2013, the Company renewed the financial services framework agreement (the “Financial 
Services  Framework  Agreement”)  with  the  Finance  Company  for  a  term  of  three  years  starting  from  1 
January 2014 to 31 December 2016.

Under such agreement, the Finance Company agrees to provide to the Company deposit (the “Provision 
of Deposit Services”) and loan services (the “Provision of Loan Services”). The Finance Company shall pay 
interests to the Company regularly at a rate not lower than the current deposit rates set by the People’s 
Bank of China. The Group’s deposits placed with the Finance Company were re-deposited in a number 
of  banks.  The  Finance  Company  has  agreed  that  the  loans  it  provided  to  CSAHC  and  its  subsidiaries 
other than the Group should not exceed the sum of the Finance Company’s shareholders’ equity, capital 
reserves and total deposits received from other companies (excluding the Group). The rates should be 
determined on an arm’s length basis and based on fair market rate, and should not be higher than those 
available from independent third parties. Each of the maximum daily balance of deposits (including the 
corresponding interests accrued thereon) placed by the Company as well as the maximum amount of the 
outstanding loan provided by the Finance Company to the Company (including the corresponding interests 
payable  accrued  thereon)  at  any  time  during  the  term  of  the  Financial  Services  Framework  Agreement 
shall not exceed the Cap which is set at RMB6 billion on any given day. The annual cap of fees payable 
to the Finance Company by the Group for the other financial services should not exceed RMB5 million. 
On 26 December 2013, the second extraordinary general meeting of 2013 considered and approved the 
Financial Services Framework Agreement.

The  Company  and  the  Finance  Company  entered  into  the  Supplemental  Agreement  to  the  Financial 
Services Framework Agreement on 4 May 2015 to revise each of the annual cap in relation to the Provision 
of  Deposit  Services  and  the  Provision  of  the  Loan  Services  for  the  period  from  the  effective  date  of 
Supplemental  Agreement  to  31  December  2016  from  RMB6  billion  to  RMB8  billion.  On  30  June  2015, 
2014 annual general meeting of the Company considered and approved the Supplemental Agreement to 
the Financial Services Framework Agreement.

As of 31 December 2016, the Group’s deposits placed with the Finance Company amounted to RMB3,759 
million.

(b) 

On  19  November  2015,  the  Company  entered  into  Cooperation  Framework  Agreement  with  Finance 
Company  (the  “Cooperation  Framework  Agreement”),  for  a  term  of  two  years  starting  from  1  January 
2015 to 31 December 2016.

Pursuant to the insurance business platform cooperation arrangements under the Cooperation Framework 
Agreement, the Company as the platform service provider, agreed to cooperate with the Finance Company, 
and authorize Finance Company to use the various platforms of the Group including online channels and 
ground service counter channels as the sales platforms for sale of various insurances relating to aviation 
transportation including baggage insurance and aviation passenger accident insurance. In addition, the 
Company  agreed  to  further  authorize  the  Finance  Company  to  use  the  Group’s  ground  service  counter 
channels as the sales platform for sale of baggage insurance and aviation passenger accident insurance.

For the sale of insurance policies through the Group’s ground service counter channels and its electronic 
platforms, the Group is currently charging a fixed ratio of the insurance premium of each of the different 
kinds of insurance policies. The pricing model has been agreed on an arm’s length basis by the Company 
and the Finance Company with reference to the determination basis as set out in a table disclosed in the 
announcement of the Company dated 9 November 2015.

The  annual  caps  in  relation  to  the  service  fees  to  be  charged  by  the  Group  under  the  Cooperation 
Framework  Agreement  are  RMB40  million  and  RMB60  million  for  the  two  years  ending  31  December 
2016, respectively.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the service fee charged by the Group were RMB26 million.

Report of DirectorsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016082

On  29  August  2016,  the  Company  renewed  the  New  Financial  Services  Framework  Agreement  (the 
“New Financial Services Framework Agreement”) with Finance Company, in order to revise the financial 
services provided by Finance Company to the Group under Financial Services Framework Agreement and 
supplement the insurance business platform services provided by the Group to Finance Company. The 
term  of  the  Agreement  is  three  years,  starting  from  1  January  2017  to  31  December  2019.  At  any  time 
during the term of New Financial Services Framework Agreement, each of the maximum daily balance of 
deposits (including the corresponding interests accrued thereon) placed by the Company as well as the 
maximum amount of the outstanding loan provided by the Finance Company to the Company (including 
the  corresponding  interests  payable  accrued  thereon)  shall  not  exceed  the  Cap  which  is  set  at  RMB8 
billion on any given day. In addition, the annual caps of fees to be received by the Group for the insurance 
business platform services under New Financial Services Framework Agreement were RMB68.60 million, 
RMB79.35 million and RMB91.67 million respectively for each financial year ended 31 December 2017, 
2018 and 2019.

D.  GSC (formerly known as PCACL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSAHC

On  8  November  2013,  the  Company  and  GSC  renewed  the  Passenger  and  Cargo  Sales  Agency  Services 
Framework  Agreement  (the  “Passenger  and  Cargo  Sales  Agency  Services  Framework  Agreement”)  to  renew 
the  continuing  connected  transactions  contemplated  therein  for  a  fixed  term  of  three  years  commencing  from 
1  January  2014  to  31  December  2016.  Pursuant  to  the  New  Passenger  and  Cargo  Sales  Agency  Services 
Framework Agreement, GSC agrees to provide the following services to the Group: domestic and international 
air ticket sales agency services; domestic and international airfreight forwarding sales agency services; chartered 
flight and pallets sales agency services; internal operation services for the inside storage area (these services 
include the areas in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, etc); and delivery services for the outside storage area. 
The  agency  fee  for  sales  agency  services  is  determined  by  reference  to  the  agency  ratio  paid  to  the  agency 
companies by the airlines companies of the same types of the industry in the same regions; the service fee for 
internal operation services is determined by the fee standard prescribed by the local government. The annual 
cap shall maintain RMB250 million per annum for the entire term of the New Passenger and Cargo Sales Agency 
Services Framework Agreement.

In view of the sudden increase of the sales agency services as a result of the peak season market demand for 
the Group exceeds the original projection, the annual cap under the Passenger and Cargo Sales Agency Services 
Framework Agreement in respect of the year ended 31 December 2016 would become insufficient. Accordingly, 
on 16 December 2016, the Company and GSC entered into the Supplemental Agreement to revise the annual 
cap under Passenger and Cargo Sales Agency Services Framework Agreement from RMB250 million to RMB260 
for the year ended 31 December 2016.

For  the  year  ended  31  December  2016,  the  commission  expense  and  goods  handling  fee  paid  to  GSC  were 
RMB99 million and RMB117 million, respectively, and the income relating to other services was RMB6 million.

On  16  December  2016,  the  Company  entered  into  a  new  Passenger  and  Cargo  Sales  and  Ground  Services 
Framework Agreement (the “Passenger and Cargo Sales and Ground Services Framework Agreement”) for a term 
of three years starting from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2019. Under Passenger and Cargo Sales and Ground 
Services Framework Agreement, GSC agreed to provide certain services and charge agent service fees while the 
Company agreed to lease certain assets including transportation tools and equipment and workplace and charge 
rental thereon. GSC agrees to provide the following services to the Group: (i) domestic and international air ticket 
sales agency services; (ii) domestic and international airfreight forwarding sales agency services; (iii) chartered 
flight  and  pallets  sales  agency  services;  (iv)  Import  and  export  port  and  transfer  services  related  to  cargo 
operations; (v) ground services, including aircraft maintenance, cabin cleaning, cleaning, collecting and issuing 
of  towels,  entertaining  equipment  maintenance  within  aircraft,  surface  cleaning  of  aircraft  and  comprehensive 
ground services; and (vi) support to sales and services oriented to major direct customers of the Company. In 
respect of the services provided by GSC to the Group, the agency fee for sales agency services is determined 
by reference to the agency ratio paid to the agency companies by the airlines companies of the same types of 
the industry in the same regions (including domestic and foreign market). The service fee for internal operation 
services  is  determined  by  the  fee  standard  prescribed  by  the  local  government.  The  service  fee  for  other 
maintenance  and  ground  services  is  mainly  determined  based  on  related  costs  (mainly  including  labor  costs, 
operation costs, management costs and taxes) in addition to 10% profit ratio. With respect to the rentals to be 

Report of Directors083

E. 

F. 

received by the Company, rentals are determined with reference to the valuation prepared by valuation agency 
(independent third party). The Company expect the annual fees payable to the Company under Passenger and 
Cargo Sales and Ground Services Framework Agreement will not exceed RMB10 million. Under Passenger and 
Cargo  Sales  and  Ground  Services  Framework  Agreement,  the  annual  caps  for  the  services  provided  to  the 
Group by GCS for each of the three years ending 31 December 2019 will be RMB270 million, RMB330 million 
and RMB400 million, respectively.

CSAGPMC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSAHC
On  29  December  2014,  the  Company  entered  into  the  new  property  management  framework  agreement  (the 
“Property Management Framework Agreement”) with CSAGPMC to renew the property management transactions 
for  a  term  of  three  years  from  1  January  2015  to  31  December  2017.  Pursuant  to  the  Property  Management 
Framework Agreement, the Company has renewed the appointment of CSAGPMC for the provision of property 
management  and  maintenance  services  for  the  Company’s  properties  at  the  old  Baiyun  Airport  and  the  new 
Baiyun  International  Airport  and  surrounding  in  Guangzhou,  the  Company’s  leased  properties  in  the  airport 
terminal at new Baiyun International Airport, the base and the 110KV transformer substation at the new Baiyun 
International Airport to ensure the ideal working conditions of the Company’s production and office facilities and 
physical environment, and the normal operation of equipment. In addition, CSAGPMC has also been appointed for 
the provision of the property management and maintenance services for the power transformation and distribution 
equipment at Guangzhou cargo terminal, and the provision of the electricity charge agency services to the Group, 
which  are  newly  added  services  to  be  provided  by  CSAGPMC  to  the  Group.  The  annual  cap  for  the  Property 
Management Framework Agreement is set at RMB90 million, RMB92 million and RMB96 million for each of the 
three years ending 31 December 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

The  management  and  maintenance  services  fee  shall  be  determined  at  an  arm’s  length  basis  between  both 
parties and according to the market prices, which shall be determined with the consultation by the Company in the 
property management market, taking into account the location, areas and types of the properties of the Company 
at the old Baiyun Airport and the new Baiyun International Airport. The management and maintenance services 
fee charged should not be higher than the one charged by any independent third parties in the similar industries.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the property management and maintenance fee incurred by the Group 
amounted to RMB70 million pursuant to the Property Management Framework Agreement.

SACC, which is 50.1% owned by CSAHC
On  30  December  2015,  the  Company  entered  into  the  catering  services  framework  agreement  (the  “Catering 
Services  Framework  Agreement”)  with  SACC  in  order  to  renew  the  catering  services  transactions  and  extend 
another three years from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2018. The service fee of the catering services transactions 
mainly includes such three parts as in-flight lunch box fees, operating fees and storage fees. In-flight lunch box 
fees  are  determined  according  to  the  costs  of  raw  materials,  production  costs  and  taxes.  Operating  fees  are 
determined by labor costs and facility costs while the storage fees are determined by the rentals and labor costs. 
The labor costs will be determined with reference to the average salary of prior year issued by local government. 
The services fee charged by SACC should not be higher than the one charged by any independent third parties 
in the similar locations of similar services. The annual cap under the Catering Services Framework Agreement for 
each financial year ending 31 December 2016, 2017 and 2018 is RMB152 million, RMB175 million and RMB201 
million, respectively.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the service fees paid by the Group to SACC amounted to RMB124 million.

G.  MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co., Ltd.(“Zhuhai MTU”), which is 50% owned by CSAHC

The Company entered into an agreement relating to continuing connected transactions with CSAHC, MTU Aero 
Engines GmbH (“MTU GmbH”) and Zhuhai MTU on 28 September 2009, by which Zhuhai MTU shall continue to 
provide the Company with engine repair and maintenance services subject to the international competitiveness 
and at the net most favourable terms, while the Company shall make relevant payment to Zhuhai MTU according 
to related charging standard. The agreement is effective from its effective date to 5 April 2031.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Group’s engine repair and maintenance service fees incurred under 
the agreement relating to continuing connected transactions amounted to RMB1,877 million.

Report of DirectorsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016084

(3)  Trademark License Agreement

The Company and CSAHC entered into a ten year trademark license agreement dated 22 May 1997. Pursuant to which 
CSAHC acknowledges that the Company has the right to use the name “China Southern” and “China Southern Airlines” 
in both Chinese and English, and grants the Company a renewable and royalty free license to use the kapok logo on 
a  worldwide  basis  in  connection  with  the  Company’s  airlines  and  airlines-related  businesses.  Unless  CSAHC  gives  a 
written notice of termination three months before the expiration of the agreement, the agreement will be automatically 
renewed for another ten-year term. In May 2007, the trademark license agreement entered into by the Company and 
CSAHC was automatically renewed for 10 years.

(4)  Leases

The Group (as lessee) and CSAHC (as lessor) entered into lease agreements as follows:

A. 

B. 

C. 

The  Company  and  CSAHC  entered  into  the  asset  lease  agreement  (the  “Asset  Lease  Agreement”)  on  29 
December 2014 for a term of three years from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017 to renew lease transactions. 
Pursuant to the Asset Lease Agreement, CSAHC agrees to continue to lease to the Company certain parcels of 
land,  properties,  and  civil  aviation  structures  and  facilities  at  existing  locations  in  Guangzhou,  Haikou,  Wuhan, 
Hengyang, Jingzhou, Zhanjiang, Changsha and Nanyang (mainly referred to Jiangying Airport) for a term of three 
years commencing from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017. The annual rent payable pursuant to the Asset 
Lease Agreement of RMB86,268,700 is determined after arm’s length negotiation by the parties with reference 
to the historical figures and rental assessment report prepared by Zhonghuan Songde (Beijing) Assets Appraisal 
Co., Ltd. taking into account the prevailing market rental for properties located at similar locations.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the rent incurred by the Group amounted to RMB86,268,700 pursuant 
to the Asset Lease Agreement.

The Company and CSAHC entered into an indemnification agreement dated 22 May 1997 in which CSAHC has 
agreed to indemnify the Company against any loss or damage caused by or arising from any challenge of, or 
interference with, the Company’s right to use certain lands and buildings.

On  9  January  2014,  the  Company  and  CSAHC  have  entered  into  two  new  lease  agreements  (the  “Lease 
Agreements”),  namely,  the  property  lease  agreement  (the  “Property  Lease  Agreement”)  and  the  land  lease 
agreement  (the  “Land  Lease  Agreement”)  to  renew  the  land  and  property  leases  transactions  contemplated 
thereunder for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016. Pursuant to the Property Lease Agreement, 
CSAHC  agreed  to  lease  certain  properties,  facilities  and  other  infrastructure  located  in  various  cities  such  as 
Guangzhou,  Shenyang,  Dalian,  Harbin,  Xinjiang,  Changchun,  Beijing  and  Shanghai  held  by  CSAHC  or  its 
subsidiaries  to  the  Company  for  office  use  related  to  the  civil  aviation  business  development.  Pursuant  to  the 
Land Lease Agreement, CSAHC agreed to lease certain lands located in Xinjiang, Harbin, Changchun, Dalian 
and Shenyang by leasing the land use rights of such lands to the Company for the purposes of civil aviation and 
related businesses of the Company. The annual rental is determined after arm’s length negotiation between the 
parties and adjusted with reference to the rental assessment report prepared by Guangdong Yangcheng Land 
and Property Appraisal Co., Ltd. taking into account the prevailing market rental for properties located at similar 
locations  and  historical  figures.  The  maximum  annual  aggregate  amount  of  rent  payable  by  the  Company  to 
CSAHC under the Property Lease Agreement and the Land Lease Agreement for each of the three years ending 
31  December  2016  shall  not  exceed  RMB40,114,700  and  RMB63,582,200,  respectively  and  shall  be  repaid 
quarterly.

In  view  of  the  expected  increase  in  the  areas  of  the  leased  property  under  the  Property  Lease  Agreement, 
the  annual  caps  under  the  Property  Lease  Agreement  in  respect  of  the  two  years  ending  31  December  2016 
will  become  insufficient.  Accordingly,  the  Company  and  CSAHC  entered  into  a  supplemental  agreement  to 
the  Property  Lease  Agreement  to  slightly  revise  the  annual  caps  for  the  two  years  ending  31  December  2016 
to  RMB40,270,700  (original  cap  of  RMB40,114,700)  and  RMB40,348,700  (original  cap  of  RMB40,114,700), 
respectively.

Report of Directors085

For  the  year  ended  31  December  2016,  the  rents  for  property  lease  and  land  lease  incurred  by  the  Group 
amounted to RMB40,348,700 and RMB63,582,200, respectively pursuant to the Lease Agreements.

On 16 December 2016, the Company and CSAHC have entered into a new property and land lease framework 
agreement  (the  “Property  and  Land  Lease  Framework  Agreement”)  to  renew  the  land  and  property  leases 
transactions contemplated under the Lease Agreements for the period from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2019. 
Pursuant to the Property and Land Lease Framework Agreement, CSAHC agreed to (i) lease certain properties, 
facilities and other infrastructure located in various cities such as Guangzhou, Shenyang, Dalian, Harbin, Xinjiang, 
Changchun, Beijing and Shanghai held by CSAHC or its subsidiaries to the Company for office use related to the 
civil aviation business development; and (ii) lease certain lands located in Xinjiang, Harbin, Changchun, Dalian 
and  Shenyang  by  leasing  the  land  use  rights  of  such  lands  to  the  Company  for  the  purposes  of  civil  aviation 
and related businesses of the Company. The annual rental is determined after arm’s length negotiation between 
the  parties  and  adjusted  with  reference  to  the  rental  assessment  report  prepared  by  Guangdong  Zhonglian 
Yangcheng  Asset  Appraisal  Co.,  Ltd.  taking  into  account  the  prevailing  market  rental  for  properties  located  at 
similar locations and historical figures. The maximum annual aggregate amount of rent payable by the Company 
to  CSAHC  under  the  Property  and  Land  Lease  Framework  Agreement  for  each  of  the  three  years  ending  31 
December 2019 shall not exceed RMB130 million.

(5)  Acquisition of 100% equity interests in SAIETC

On  2  February  2016,  the  Company  and  CSAHC  entered  into  the  share  transfer  agreement  (the  “Share  Transfer 
Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to purchase and CSAHC agreed to sell 100% equity interests in 
SAIETC  at  the  consideration  of  RMB400,570,400.  The  consideration  of  RMB400,570,400  is  determined  after  an  arm’s 
length negotiation between the parties in accordance with prevailing market conditions and after taking into account, 
inter alia, the net asset value of SAIETC and the appraisal value of 100% equity interests in SAIETC as of 30 June 2015, 
net of decrease of net asset resulting from events after balance sheet date (including profit distribution and long-term 
equity investment).

The Company believes that the acquisition can assist the Group to strengthen procurement management of aircraft, flight 
equipment and other airlines-related facilities, lower management risk; assist the Company to streamline its relationship 
with  trading  companies  so  as  to  reduce  connected  transactions.  With  SAIETC’s  experience  in  tendering  and  agency 
services, SAIETC will be developed into a centralised platform for procurement activities of the Group, that enhances 
concentration and efficiency of procurement activities.

(6)  Capital Increase Agreement

On 23 December 2016, the Company entered into the Capital Increase Agreement (the “Capital Increase Agreement”)
with CSAHC, Xiamen Airlines, Shantou Airlines, Zhuhai Airlines and Guangzhou Nanland Air Catering Company Limited 
(“Nanland Company”), under which each party agreed that each of the Company and CSAHC can increase the capital 
of Finance Company, up to RMB500 million in total. RMB348,597,550 of such capital increase will be used to increase 
the  registered  capital  from  RMB724,329,500  to  RMB1,072,927,050,  while  RMB151,402,450  will  be  used  to  increase 
the  capital  reserve  of  Finance  Company.  Xiamen  Airlines,  Shantou  Airlines,  Zhuhai  Airlines  and  Nanland  Company 
(non-wholly owned subsidiary of the Company) agreed to waive their rights to make capital contributions. The amounts 
of capital increase to the Finance Company were determined by each party through fair negotiation with reference to 
(among other things) the net assets of Finance Company on 31 May 2016 and current shareholding ratio of each party 
in Finance Company.

Upon  the  completion  of  capital  increase,  the  equity  interest  held  by  CSAHC  in  the  Finance  Company  would  remain 
at  66.022%  while  the  equity  interest  held  by  the  Company  in  the  Finance  Company  would  increase  from  21.089%  to 
25.277%.

The  Company  considers  that  the  entering  into  the  Capital  Increase  Agreement  and  the  capital  increase  will  enhance 
the  finance  conditions  and  therefore  the  development  of  the  Finance  Company  and  allow  the  Finance  Company  to 
further expand its business. The Company would also be able to share the benefit from the Finance Company’s profits 
by  holding  25.277%  equity  interest  directly,  and  8.701%  equity  interest  indirectly  through  its  four  subsidiaries,  in  the 
Finance Company.

Report of DirectorsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016086

(7)  Acquisition of Property in the PRC

On 15 December 2016, Hainan Branch of the Company (as the purchaser) entered into the Sale and Purchase Agreement 
with  China  Southern  Air  Sanya  Property  Development  Co.,  Ltd  (the  “Vendor”),  under  which  the  Company  agreed  to 
purchase a property at the total consideration of RMB56,089,800 (equivalent to HK$64,953,591). The property includes 
whole 4th floor of China Southern Air Sanya Headquarter Building located at No.360-2 Yingbin Road, Kedong District, 
Sanya, Hainan Province, the PRC with a gross floor area of approximately 2,123.5 square meters (the “Property”).

The  consideration  for  the  Property  acquisition  was  determined  after  arm’s  length  negotiations  between  the  Company 
and the Vendor, with reference to (i) the prevailing selling prices of other presale units of the development in which the 
Property forms part of, in the open market of Sanya; (ii) the similar types (for office purpose) of properties located in the 
same  areas  in  Sanya;  and  (iii)  the  agreed  15%  discount  provided  by  the  Vendor  to  the  Company.  The  consideration 
also included the taxes and renovation costs.

The Vendor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC China Southern Air Construction Development Co., Ltd. which is owned 
as to 49% by CSAHC. CSAHC is the controlling shareholder of the Company and therefore the Vendor is a connected 
person of the Company under the Listing Rules.

Since  the  Property  is  situated  at  the  city  centre  of  Sanya  and  a  new  commercial  business  district  established  by  the 
Sanya  municipal  government,  the  Company  believes  that  acquiring  the  Property  with  such  geographical  advantages 
as its office can not only meet the needs of future production development, but also realign its office premises with the 
Company’s brand and image. The Property Acquisition will also strengthen the Company’s strategic cooperation with 
the Sanya municipal government.

The  Company  has  confirmed  that  the  execution  and  enforcement  of  the  implementation  agreements  under  the  continuing 
connected transactions set above for the year ended 31 December 2016 has followed the pricing principles of such continuing 
connected transactions.

The independent non-executive Directors of the Company have confirmed to the Board that they have reviewed the non-exempt 
continuing connected transactions and are of the view that:

(a) 

those transactions were conducted in the ordinary and usual course of business of the Group;

(b) 

those transactions were entered into on normal commercial terms or better; and

(c) 

those transactions were conducted in accordance with the relevant agreement governing them on terms that were fair 
and reasonable and in the interests of the shareholders of the Company as a whole.

The  auditor  of  the  Company  was  engaged  to  report  on  the  Group’s  continuing  connected  transactions  in  accordance  with 
Hong Kong Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 (Revised) “Assurance Engagements Other Than Audits or Reviews of 
Historical Financial Information” and with reference to Practice Note 740 “Auditor’s Letter on Continuing Connected Transactions 
under the Hong Kong Listing Rules” issued by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The auditor has issued 
their  unqualified  letter  containing  their  conclusions  in  respect  of  the  above-mentioned  continuing  connected  transactions  in 
accordance with the Rule 14A.56 of the Listing Rules, indicating that:

(a) 

(b) 

nothing has come to their attention that causes them to believe that the disclosed continuing connected transactions 
have not been approved by the Board.

for transactions involving the provision of goods or services by the Group, nothing has come to their attention that causes 
them  to  believe  that  the  transactions  were  not,  in  all  material  respects,  in  accordance  with  the  pricing  policies  of  the 
Group.

Report of Directors087

(c) 

(d) 

nothing has come to their attention that causes them to believe that the disclosed continuing connected transactions 
were not entered into, in all material respects, in accordance with the relevant agreements governing such transactions.

with  respect  to  the  aggregate  amount  of  each  of  the  continuing  connected  transactions,  nothing  has  come  to  their 
attention that causes them to believe that the disclosed continuing connected transactions have exceeded the annual 
cap as set by the Company.

Certain related party transactions as disclosed in note 49 to the financial statements prepared under IFRSs also constituted 
connected transactions under the Listing Rules required to be disclosed in accordance with Chapter 14A of the Listing Rule. 
The Company has complied with the disclosure requirements of Chapter 14A of Listing Rules in respect of the above connected 
transactions or continuing connected transactions.

DONATIONS
For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Group made donations for charitable purposes amounting to RMB11.26 million.

DESIGNATED DEPOSITS AND OVERDUE TIME DEPOSITS
As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s deposits placed with financial institutions or other parties did not include any designated 
deposits, or overdue time deposits for which the Group failed to receive repayments.

MATERIAL LITIGATION
Save as disclosed in note 52 to the financial statements, as at 31 December 2016, the Group was not involved in any material 
litigation.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On 27 March 2017, according to the authorisation under the general mandate approved by the 2015 annual general meeting 
and as approved by the Board, the Company entered into the Subscription Agreement with American Airlines, Inc. (the “AAI”), 
pursuant to which the AAI has agreed to subscribe for 270,606,272 new H Shares of the Company (the “Subscription”), at the 
subscription price of HK$1,553.28 million, representing a issue price of HK$5.74 per share. The Subscription is subject to the 
approval of relevant authorities.

AUDITORS
A  resolution  is  to  be  proposed  at  the  forthcoming  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Company  for  the  appointment  of  KPMG 
Huazhen  LLP  to  provide  professional  services  to  the  Company  for  its  domestic  financial  reporting,  U.S.  Financial  reporting 
and internal control reporting for the year 2017 and KPMG to provide professional services to the Company for its Hong Kong 
financial reporting for the year 2017.

By order of the Board
Wang Chang Shun
Chairman

Guangzhou, the PRC
30 March 2017

Report of DirectorsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016088

I.  CHANGE IN SHARE CAPITAL
(I)  Changes in Shareholdings

Shares subject to trading restrictions

Shares not subject to trading restrictions

1. RMB ordinary shares

2. Foreign listed shares

I. 

II. 

Total

III.  Total number of shares

31 December 2015

Shares

0

(%)

0

7,022,650,000

2,794,917,000

9,817,567,000

9,817,567,000

71.53

28.47

100

100

Increase/(decrease) in 2016
(%)

Shares

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Unit: Share

31 December 2016

Shares

0

(%)

0

7,022,650,000

2,794,917,000

9,817,567,000

9,817,567,000

71.53

28.47

100

100

(II)  Description of change in shares

During the reporting period, there were no changes in the total number of shares and share structure of the Company.

II. 
(I) 

ISSUANCE AND LISTING OF SHARES
Securities issuance during the reporting period

Type of securities 
and derivatives

Corporate Bonds
Corporate Bonds

Issuance date

3 March 2016
25 May 2016

Issuance price 
(or interest rate) Amount issued

Listing date

Amount approved 
for public trading

Ending date of 
transaction

2.97%
3.12%

5,000
5,000

24 March 2016
28 June 2016

5,000
5,000

3 March 2019
25 May 2021

Unit: RMB Million

(II)  Changes in the total number of shares, shareholder structure and assets and liabilities structure 

of the Company
During the reporting period, there were no bonus shares, rationed shares or such other reasons leading to a change in 
the total number of shares and shareholder structure of the Company.

(III)  Existing internal staff shares

As at the end of the reporting period, the Company had no internal staff shares.

III.  PARTICULARS OF SHAREHOLDERS
(I)  Number of shareholders

As  at  the  end  of  the  reporting  period,  total  number  of  ordinary  shareholders  of  the  Company  was  288,580.  As  at  28 
February 2017, total number of ordinary shareholders of the Company was 265,156.

Changes in the Share Capital, Shareholders’ Profile and Disclosure of Interests 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
089

(II)  Particulars of shareholdings

1. 

Particulars of the top ten shareholders

Name of the shareholder

Capacity

Unit: share

Increase/
(decrease) 
during the 
reporting 
period

Number of 
shares held 
at the end 
of reporting 
period

Shareholding 
percentage 
at the end 
of reporting 
period

Number 
of shares 
subject 
to trading 
restrictions

Number 
of shares 
pledged or 
frozen

CSAHC

Stated-owned legal entity

0

4,039,228,665

HKSCC (Nominees) Limited

Overseas legal entity

293,000

1,749,459,988

Nan Lung Holding Limited

Stated-owned legal entity

0

1,033,650,000

China Securities Finance Corporation 

Stated-owned legal entity

30,009,024

267,619,382

Limited

Zhong Hang Xin Gang Guarantee Co., Ltd. Stated-owned legal entity

(5,000,000)

70,000,000

Central Huijin Investment Ltd.

Stated-owned legal entity

China National Aviation Corporation 

Stated-owned legal entity

0

0

64,510,900

49,253,400

(Group) Limited

National Social Security Fund 118

Domestic Non-state-owned 

35,541,205

37,919,905

legal entity

Industrial and Commercial Bank of  

Domestic Non-state-owned 

26,046,095

26,046,095

China-SSE 50 Trading – Index Securities 
Investment Open-ended Fund

legal entity

41.14

17.82

10.53

2.73

0.71

0.66

0.50

0.39

0.27

Yinhua Fund – Agricultural Bank of 

Domestic Non-state-owned 

25,425,500

25,425,500

0.26

China–Yinhua CSI Financial Assets 
Management Scheme

legal entity

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Nil

Unknown

Nil

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

2. 

Particulars of the top ten shareholders holding the Company’s tradable shares not subject 
to trading restrictions

Unit: Share

Name of Shareholder

CSAHC
HKSCC (Nominees) Limited
Nan Lung Holding Limited
China Securities Finance Corporation Limited
Zhong Hang Xin Gang Guarantee Co., Ltd.
Central Huijin Investment Ltd.
China National Aviation Corporation (Group) Limited
National Social Security Fund 118
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China-SSE 50 
Trading – Index Securities Investment Open-
ended Fund

Yinhua Fund – Agricultural Bank of China–Yinhua 
CSI Financial Assets Management Scheme

Number of 
tradable shares 
not subject 
to trading 
restrictions

Type of shares

RMB-denominated ordinary shares

4,039,228,665
1,749,459,988 Overseas listed foreign shares
1,033,650,000 Overseas listed foreign shares

267,619,382
70,000,000
64,510,900
49,253,400
37,919,905

RMB-denominated ordinary shares
RMB-denominated ordinary shares
RMB-denominated ordinary shares
RMB-denominated ordinary shares
RMB-denominated ordinary shares

26,046,095

RMB-denominated ordinary shares

25,425,500

RMB-denominated ordinary shares

Explanation of the 

connected relationship 
or acting in concert 
relationship of the 
above shareholders

Nan Lung Holding Limited is incorporated in Hong Kong and a wholly-owned subsidiary of 
CSAHC. The Company is not aware of any other connected relationship between other 
shareholders. The H shares held by HKSCC Nominees Limited include the 31,120,000 H 
shares of the Company held by Yazhou Travel Investment Company Limited, a fourth level 
subsidiary of CSAHC incorporated in Hong Kong.

Changes in the Share Capital, Shareholders’ Profile and Disclosure of InterestsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
090

IV.  THE CONTROLLING SHAREHOLDER OR ACTUAL CONTROLLER
1. 

Information of the controlling shareholders
During the reporting period, there were no change in the controlling shareholder or actual controller of the Company.

Name

CSAHC

Responsible 
person or legal 
representative

Date of Establishment

Major business operation

Wang Chang Shun

11 October 2002

To operate all the state-owned assets 
and state-owned equities being 
invested into CSAHC and its joint stock 
companies

Ownership of other domestic 
and overseas listed companies 
controlled or invested during the 
reporting period

TravelSky Technology Limited 
(shareholding of 11.94%)

Reputation

Favorable

2. 

Information of de facto controllers
The chart below indicates the ownership and controlling relationship between the Company and de facto controllers:

Changes in the Share Capital, Shareholders’ Profile and Disclosure of Interests100%41.14%10.53%100%100%0.32%100%State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State CouncilChina Southern Air Holding CompanyNan Lung Holding LimitedTravelSky Technology(Hong Kong) LimitedYazhou Travel InvestmentCompany LimitedChina Southern Airlines Company Limited 
 
 
 
 
 
091

3.  Other information of the controlling shareholder and actual controllers

CSAHC  was  established  on  11  October  2002  and  is  a  large-scale  state-owned  air  transportation  group  with  China 
Southern Airlines (Group) Company as its main core entity, together with Xinjiang Airlines Company and China Northern 
Airlines  Company.  CSAHC  is  one  of  the  three  core  air  transportation  groups  directly  managed  by  the  State-owned 
Assets Supervision and Administration Commission which specializes in relevant industries including air transportation 
and cargo logistics, aero engines maintenance, financing, construction and development and media and advertising.

The  strategic  position  of  the  CSAHC  is  to  develop  into  an  internationally  competitive  aviation  transportation  group 
with sustainable profitability. Insisting on maintaining its core values of “Customer First, Respecting Talents, Pursuit of 
Excellence, Continuous Innovation and Favourable Return” while maintaining its vibrant vision and mission of becoming 
a  major  world-class  airlines,  the  number  one  choice  for  travellers  and  highly  respected  by  its  staff  and  employees, 
CSAHC works to continually enhance its service brand to be the very best in China, the first-rate across Asia and well-
known in the world.

V.  OTHER CORPORATE SHAREHOLDERS WITH MORE THAN 10% SHAREHOLDING
Currency: HKD

Name of corporate 
shareholders

Responsible 
person or legal 
representative

Date of 
Establishment

Organisation 
code

Registered 
capital

Major business 
operation or 
management 
activities

Nan Lung Holding Limited

Wang Jian Jun

September 1992

Not applicable

1,674,497,600

Investment holding

VI.  DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS
As at 31 December 2016, to the best knowledge of the Directors, chief executive and Supervisors of the Company, the following 
persons  (other  than  the  Directors,  chief  executive  or  Supervisors  of  the  Company)  had  interests  and  short  positions  in  the 
shares (the “Shares”) and underlying shares of the Company which are required to be recorded in the register of the Company 
required to be kept under section 336 of the SFO:

Types of 
Shares

A Shares
H Shares

Number of 
Shares held

4,039,228,665 (L)
1,064,770,000 (L)

% of the 
total issued 
A Shares of 
the Company

57.52%
/

Sub-total
H Shares

5,103,998,665 (L)
1,064,770,000 (L)

/
/

% of the 
total issued 
H Shares of 
the Company

% of the 
total issued 
share capital of 
the Company

/
38.10%

/
38.10%

41.14%
10.85%

51.99%
10.85%

Name of shareholders

Capacity

CSAHC (Note)

Nan Lung Holding Limited 

Nan Lung (Note)

Note:

Beneficial owner
Interest of controlled 

corporations

Beneficial owner 
Interest of controlled 
corporations

CSAHC  was  deemed  to  be  interested  in  an  aggregate  of  1,064,770,000  H  Shares  through  its  direct  and  indirect  wholly-owned  subsidiaries 
in Hong Kong, of which 31,120,000 H Shares were directly held by Yazhou Travel Investment Company Limited (representing approximately 
1.11% of its then total issued H Shares) and 1,033,650,000 H Shares were directly held by Nan Lung (representing approximately 36.98% of 
its then total issued H Shares). As Yazhou Travel Investment Company Limited is also an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Nan Lung, Nan 
Lung was also deemed to be interested in the 31,120,000 H Shares held by Yazhou Travel Investment Company Limited.

Save as disclosed above, as at 31 December 2016, so far as was known to the Directors, chief executive and Supervisors of 
the Company, no other person (other than the Directors, chief executive or Supervisors of the Company) had an interest or a 
short position in the shares or underlying shares of the Company recorded in the register of the Company required to be kept 
under section 336 of the SFO.

Changes in the Share Capital, Shareholders’ Profile and Disclosure of InterestsChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
092

I.  DIRECTORS, SUPERVISORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT
(I)  Changes in the number of Share held by Directors, Supervisors and Senior Management and 

their remuneration
As at the end of the reporting period, the directors, supervisors and senior management of the Company were as follows:

Number of 
Shares held 
as at the 
beginning of 
the reporting 
period (shares)

Number of 
Shares held as 
at the end of 
the reporting 
period (shares)

Increase or 
Decrease of 
Shares during 
the year 
(shares)

Appointment 
date for the 
term of office

Expiry date 
for the term of 
office

Name

Position

Gender

Age

Directors
Wang Chang Shun

Tan Wan Geng

Yuan Xin An
Yang Li Hua
Zhang Zi Fang

Li Shao Bin
Ning Xiang Dong

Liu Chang Le

Tan Jin Song

Guo Wei

Jiao Shu Ge

Supervisors
Pan Fu

Li Jia Shi
Zhang Wei
Yang Yi Hua
Wu De Ming

Chairman of the Board
Non-executive Director
Vice Chairman of the Board
Executive Director
President
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director
Executive Director
Executive Vice President
Executive Director
Independent Non-executive
Director
Independent Non-executive
Director
Independent Non-executive
Director
Independent Non-executive
Director
Independent Non-executive
Director

Chairman of the Supervisory 
Committee
Supervisor
Supervisor
Supervisor
Supervisor

Senior Management
Xiao Li Xin

Ren Ji Dong
Guo Zhi Qiang
Wang Zhi Xue
Li Tong Bin

Su Liang
Chen Wei Hua
Xie Bing
Feng Hua Nan

Chief Accountant, 
Chief Financial Officer
Executive Vice President
COO Marketing & Sales
Executive Vice President
Chief Engineer
Executive Vice President
Chief Economist
Chief Legal Adviser
Secretary to the Board
COO Flight Safety

Male

Male

Male
Female
Male

Male

Male

Male

Male

Male

Male

Male

Male
Female
Female
Male

Male

Male
Male
Male
Male

Male
Male
Male
Male

59

52

60
61
58

52

51

65

52

54

51

54

55
50
56
58

50

52
53
56
55

54
50
43
54

27 May 2016
27 May 2016
24 January 2013
15 June 2006
13 January 2009
30 November 2011
24 January 2013
30 June 2009
27 December 2007
24 January 2013

To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date

29 December 2010

To date

30 November 2011

To date

26 December 2013

To date

30 June 2015

30 June 2015

To date

To date

29 December 2010

To date

30 June 2009
25 June 2008
16 June 2004
26 December 2013

To date
To date
To date
To date

27 March 2015

To date

7 May 2009
27 September 2012
3 August 2012
30 April 2014
14 September 2015
27 December 2007
16 June 2004
26 November 2007
15 August 2014

To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date
To date

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

The total 
remuneration 
before tax 
received from 
the Company 
during the 
reporting period 
(RMB’0000)

Had received 
remuneration 
from related 
party of the 
Company

0

Yes

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
76.9

15

15

15

15

15

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No

No

No

No

No

No

0

Yes

84.4
0
0
54.6

No
Yes
No
No

66.3

Yes

84.3
76.8
144.4
86.4

13
77
76.5
140.8

No
No
No
No

No
No
No
No

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
093

Notes:

1) 

2) 

3) 

4) 

5) 

6) 

The 7th session of the Board and Supervisory Committee have expired on 26 December 2016. The re-election and appointment 
has been postponed. For details, please refer to the Announcement of China Southern Airlines on Re-election and Appointment 
of Members of the Board and the Supervisory Committee published by the Company on 23 December 2016;

Mr. Wang Zhi Xue, an Executive Vice President and Mr. Feng Hua Nan, the COO Flight Safety also served as pilots, and their 
remunerations were inclusive of crew allowance;

Mr. Su Liang, the Chief Economist, was designated to Skyteam, therefore he didn’t receive any remuneration from the Company, 
and the Company paid applicable insurance and housing fund for him;

Ms. Yang Yi Hua, a Supervisor, has been retired in September 2015 therefore she didn’t receive any remuneration from the 
Company during the reporting period;

Mr. Xiao Li Xin, the Chief Accountant and Chief Financial Officer, began to receive remuneration from CSAHC since November 
2016 and his remuneration disclosure period starting from January 2016 to October 2016;

On 4 January 2017, Directors of the Company agreed unanimously to appoint Mr. Zhang Zheng Rong as COO of the Company, 
Mr. Yang Ben Sen as Chief Pilot and Guo Jian Ye as Chief Service Officer. Mr. Wang Zhi Xue was not Chief Pilot of the Company 
since then.

During  the  reporting  period,  the  current  Directors,  Supervisors  and  Senior  Management  or  the  Directors,  Supervisors 
and Senior Management who resigned during the reporting period has not held or dealt with shares of the Company. 

As  at  31  December  2016,  none  of  the  Directors,  Chief  Executive  or  Supervisors  of  the  Company  had  interests  or 
short positions in the shares, underlying shares and/or debentures (as the case may be) of the Company or any of its 
associated corporations (within the meaning of Part XV of the SFO) which were required to be notified to the Company 
and the Stock Exchange pursuant to the SFO (including interests or short positions which are taken or deemed to have 
under such provisions of the SFO), or which were required to be recorded in the register maintained by the Company 
pursuant  to  Section  352  of  the  SFO,  or  which  were  required  to  be  notified  to  the  Company  and  the  Stock  Exchange 
pursuant to the Model Code as set out in Appendix 10 of the Listing Rules.

(II)  Other positions held in other Companies by Directors, Supervisors and Senior Management

1. 

Positions held in shareholder entities

Name

Name of entities

Position

Appointment date

Expiry date

Wang Chang Shun
Tan Wan Geng

China Southern Air Holding Company
China Southern Air Holding Company

Chairman, Party Secretary
President, Director, Deputy  

6 December 2016
6 December 2016

To date
To date

Yuan Xin An

China Southern Air Holding Company

Party Secretary

Party Leadership Group Member, 
Executive Vice President, Chief 
Legal Adviser

28 September 2007

To date

Yang Li Hua

China Southern Air Holding Company

Party Leadership Group Member, 

22 May 2009

8 July 2016

Zhang Zi Fang

China Southern Air Holding Company

Deputy Party Secretary, Executive 

26 August 2016

To date

Executive Vice President

Pan Fu

China Southern Air Holding Company

Vice President

Party Leadership Group Member, 
Team Leader of the Discipline 
Inspection Commission

27 October 2010

To date

Xiao Li Xin

China Southern Air Holding Company

Party Leadership Group Member, 

11 October 2016

To date

Chief Accountant

Zhang Wei

China Southern Air Holding Company

Director of the Audit Division

8 October 2007

To date

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
094

2. 

Positions held in other entities

Name of 
position holder

Yuan Xin An

Yang Li Hua

Zhang Zi Fang

Li Shao Bin

Ning Xiang Dong

Liu Chang Le
Tan Jin Song

Guo Wei

Jiao Shu Ge

Name of other entities

Position(s) held in other 
entities

Chairman
Guangzhou Southern Airlines Construction Company Limited
Chairman
MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Company Limited
Chairman
Shenzhen Air Catering Company Limited
Non-executive director
TravelSky Technology Limited
Director
China Aircraft Services Limited
Chairman
China Southern Airlines Group Ground Services Company Limited
Southern Airlines Culture and Media Company Limited
Chairman
China Southern Airlines Group Property Management Company Limited Chairman
Chairman
China Southern Airlines Henan Airlines Company Limited
Vice Director General
China Air Transport Association
Vice Director General
Guangdong Lingnan Culture Development Foundation
Chairman
Guangzhou Southern Airlines Project Supervision Co., Ltd
Chairman
Guangdong Southern Airlines Pearl Service Co;, Ltd. 
Independent director
Sichuan Changhong Electric Company Limited
Independent director
Aerospace Hi-Tech Holding Group Company Limited
Independent director
Yango Group Company Limited
Independent director
Weichai Power Company Limited
Independent director
Sinopec Sales Company Limited
Chairman and CEO
Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Limited
Independent director
Guangzhou Hengyun Enterprises Holdings Limited
Independent director
Poly Real Estate Company Limited
Independent non-
Welling Holding Limited

Shanghai RAAS Blood Products Co., Ltd.
Zhuhai Huafa Industrial Company Limited
Digital China Holdings Limited
Digital China Group Co., Ltd.
Digital China Information Service Company Limited
Kosalaki Investments Limited
Beijing Shougang Fund Co.,Ltd
CDH China Management Company Limited
Fujian Nanping Nanfu Battery Company Limited
Hainan Clear water Bay Tourism Company Limited
Hainan Aloha Hotels Company Limited
Shanghai Qing Chen Real Estate Development Company Limited
Shanghai Maitai Jun’Ao Biological Technology Co., Ltd (formerly as 

Shanghai Bai An Yi Xing Investment Company Limited)

Shanghai Hightech Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Shanghai Zhangjiang Biotechnology Company Limited
Shanghai Mai Tai Ya Bo Biotechnology Company Limited
Shanghai Biomabs Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
Taizhou Mabtech Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Taizhou Mabtech Biological Technology Co., Ltd
Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Company Limited
Inner Mongolia Hetao Spirit Group Company Limited
CDH Equity Investment Management (Tianjin) Company Limited
Beijing Taiyang Pharmaceutical Industry Company Limited
Henan Luohe Shineway Industry Group Company Limited
Shine C Holding Limited
WH Group Limited
United Global Food (US) Holdings,Inc
Smithfield Foods,Inc

executive director
Independent director
Independent director
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Director
Director
Director and President
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman

Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Vice Chairman
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees 
 
 
 
 
 
095

Position(s) held in other 
entities

Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Independent director
Chairman
Director
Director

Director
Director
Executive Director
Executive Director and 
General Manager
Executive Director and 
General Manager
Executive Director and 
General Manager

Director, General Manager
Director, Manager
Director
Vice Chairman
Chairman of Supervisory 

Committee

Name of 
position holder

Name of other entities

Rotary Vortex Ltd
Joyoung Company Limited
Chery Automobile Company Limited
Mabtech Limited
Mabtech Holdings Limited
GeneMab Limited
China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited
Tianjin Guan Jing Investment Advisory Company Limited
Plymouth Hainan Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Shanghai Haimozexin Pharmaceutical Technology Development 

Company Limited

Shanghai Haimo Biotechnology Company Limited
Beijing Dongfanglue Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd.
Tianjin Wei Yuan Investment Management Company Limited
Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone

Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone Xu Bo 

Investment Advisory Company Limited

Ningbo Yafeng Electric Products Co., Ltd.(Formerly as Fujian Nanping 

Dafeng Electric Products Co., Ltd.)

Ningbo Akin Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.,
Beijing Yuanbo Hengrui Investment Consultation Cp., Ltd
Shenzhen DH Venture Capital Investment Management Co., Ltd
Southern Airlines Culture and Media Company Limited
Southern Airlines Group Finance Company Limited

Li Jia Shi
Zhang Wei

Yang Yi Hua

Xiao Li Xin

Guo Zhi Qiang

Wang Zhi Xue
Li Tong Bin

Su Liang
Chen Wei Hua
Feng Hua Nan

Southern Airlines Culture and Media Company Limited

Chairman of Supervisory 

MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Southern Airlines Construction Company Limited
Guangzhou Southern Airlines Supervision of Construction Company 

Limited

Committee

Supervisor
Director
Supervisor

Guangzhou Air Cargo Terminals Company Limited

Chairman of Supervisory 

Committee

Guangzhou Air Cargo Terminals Company Limited
Shantou Airlines Company Limited
Guizhou Airlines Company Limited
Xiamen Airlines Company Limited
China Southern Airlines Overseas (Hong Kong) Company Limited
China Soutnern Jia Yuan (Guangzhou) Air Products Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Nanland Air Catering Company Limited
Guangzhou Baiyun International Logistic Company Limited
Guangzhou China Southern PRC Zhongmian Dutyfree Store Co., 

Limited

Zhuhai Airlines Company Limited
Shenyang Northern Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., Ltd.
Southern Airlines Group Import and Export Trading Company Limited
Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company Limited
Sichuan Airlines Company Limited
Xiamen Airlines Company Limited
Zhuhai Xiang Yi Aviation Technology Company Limited
China Southern West Australian Flying College Pty Ltd.
China Southern Airlines General Aviation Limited

Director
Chairman
Chairman
Director
Director
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman

Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Director
Director
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
096

(III)  Changes in Directors, Supervisors and Senior management

During the reporting period, changes in the directors, supervisors and senior management were as follows:

Name

Position

Change

Reason of change

Wang Chang Shun

Non-executive Director

Elected

Wang Chang Shun was appointed as non-

Wang Chang Shun

Chairman

Elected

executive director on the 2015 annual general 
meeting as at 27 May 2016

Wang Chang Shun was elected as the chairman 
by a resolution of the Board as at 27 May 2016

Wang Zhi Xue

Chief Pilot

Removed

Removed

(IV)  Changes of Information of Directors and Supervisors under Rule 13.51B(1) of Listing Rules

Below  are  the  information  relating  to  the  changes  of  Directors  and  Supervisors  required  to  be  disclosed  pursuant  to 
Rule 13.51B(1) of the Listing Rules since the date of 2016 interim report:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Mr. Wang Chang Shun, the Company’s non-executive Director, served as Chairman of CSAHC;

Mr. Tan Wan Geng, the executive Director of the Company, served as President and Director of CSAHC;

Mr Zhang Zi Fang, the Company’s executive Director, served as Executive Vice President of CSAHC; and

Mr Yuan Xin An, the Company’s non-executive Director, served as a member of the 13th CPPCC of Guangzhou 
Municipal Committee, and resigned as the Chairman of SAIETC and Dalian Acacia Town Villa Co., Ltd.;

Mr. Guo Wei, the Company’s independent non-executive Director, resigned as the non-executive director of HC 
International, Inc..

Save as disclosed above, there is no other information required to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 13.51B(1) of the Listing 
Rules.

(V)  Changes in the number of Share held by Directors, Supervisors and Senior Management and 

their remuneration
The Directors, Supervisors and Senior Management of the Company received remuneration annually. Remuneration of 
Directors  and  Supervisors  are  adjusted  and  paid  pursuant  to  Administrative  Measures  on  Remuneration  of  Directors 
of  China  Southern  Airlines  Company  Limited  and  Administrative  Measures  on  Remuneration  of  Supervisors  of  China 
Southern  Airlines Company Limited approved at the shareholders’  meeting.  Remuneration of  Senior  Management  are 
adjusted and paid pursuant to Administrative Measures on Remuneration of Senior Management and approval of the 
Board.

During the reporting period, the total remuneration before tax received from the Company by directors, supervisors and 
senior management amounted to RMB10,564,000 (2015: RMB11,449,000)

The emolument policy of the Directors and senior management of the Company are recommended by the Remuneration 
and Assessment Committee to the Board, having regard to the Group’s operating results, individual performance and 
comparable  market  statistics  in  accordance  with  the  above-mentioned  Administrative  Measures  on  Remuneration  of 
Directors and Administrative Measures on Remuneration of Senior Management of the Group.

Details of the remuneration of the Directors, Supervisors and senior management of the Group are set out in note 49 
and note 57 to the financial statements prepared under IFRSs.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
097

Details of other employees’ retirement and housing benefits are set out in notes 14 and 49 to the financial statements 
prepared under IFRSs.

Remuneration Band
HK$

0-500,000
500,001-1,000,000
1,000,001-1,500,000
1,500,001-2,000,000

Total

Number of Senior Management

2016

2015

1
5
1
2

9

3
6
3
0

12

(VI)  Service Contracts of the Directors and Supervisors

None  of  the  Directors  or  Supervisors  has  entered  or  proposed  to  enter  into  any  service  contracts  with  the  Company 
or its subsidiaries which are not determinable by the Company or its subsidiaries within one year without payment of 
compensation, other than statutory compensation.

During the year ended 31 December 2016, none of the totals or supervisors has any material interests in any significant 
contract to which the Company or its subsidiaries was a party.

(VII)  Profiles of Current Directors, Supervisors and Senior Management

Directors
Wang  Chang  Shun,  male,  aged  59,  graduated  from  University  of  Science  and  Technology  of  China  majoring  in 
management  science  and  engineering  with  PHD  degree  and  is  a  member  of  Communist  Party  of  China  (“CPC”).  He 
began his career in February 1976. He has acted as Vice Director and Director of aeronautical meteorology supervision 
department of CAAC Urumqi Administration, Vice President and a member of standing committee of Xinjiang Airlines 
(Vice  Chairman  of  CAAC  Urumqi  Administration)  and  then  as  Party  Secretary  and  Vice  President  of  Xinjiang  Airlines 
(Vice Chairman of CAAC Urumqi Administration). In November 2000, he acted as general manager and Deputy Party 
Secretary of the Company. In April 2001, he also acted as the Vice Chairman of the Company; in September 2002, he 
acted as Vice President and Party member of CSAHC and also as Vice Chairman, President and Deputy Party Secretary 
of  the  Company.  In  August  2004,  he  served  as  Deputy  Director  and  Party  member  of  Civil  Aviation  Administration  of 
China. In March 2008, he acted as Deputy Director and Party member (at the level of deputy director) of Civil Aviation 
Administration of China. In October 2011, he was appointed as general manager and Deputy Party Secretary of CSAHC 
and in January 2012 he also was appointed as the Chairman of Air China International Corporation. He was appointed as 
Vice Minister and Party Leadership Group Member of Ministry of Transport in January 2014, general manager and Deputy 
Party Secretary of CSAHC from February 2016 to May 2016, general manager and Deputy Party Secretary of CSAHC 
and  Chairman  of  the  Company  from  May  2016  to  December  2016.  Since  December  2016,  he  has  been  Chairman, 
Party Secretary of CSAHC and Chairman of the Company. He is also a deputy to the 12th National People’s Congress.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
098

Tan Wan Geng, male, aged 52, graduated from Zhongshan University, majoring in regional geography, with qualification 
of a Master’s; degree. He is an economist and a member of CPC. Mr. Tan began his career in August 1990 and served 
as the head of the Infrastructure Department and Director of Human Resources and Administration Department of the 
Beijing Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corporation from 1992 to 1996. He served as the Deputy Director General 
of Human Resources Division of the CAAC from May 1996 to September 1998. Mr. Tan served as the Deputy Director 
General of Personnel and Education Division of the CAAC from September 1998 to December 2000. He had been the 
Director  General  and  Party  Secretary  of  the  CAAC  Northeastern  Region  from  December  2000  to  January  2006,  and 
became the Party Secretary and Executive Vice President of the Company from January 2006 to February 2007. He has 
been the Director of the Company since June 2006. He had been the Party Member of CSAHC and the Party Secretary 
and  Executive  Vice  President  and  Director  of  the  Company  from  February  2007  to  January  2009.  He  had  been  the 
Party Member of CSAHC and the President, the Party Secretary and the Director of the Company from January 2009 to 
February 2009. He had been the Party Member of CSAHC and the President, the Deputy Party Secretary and the Director 
of the Company from February 2009 to May 2011. He had been the Party Secretary of CSAHC and the President, the 
Deputy Party Secretary and the Director of the Company from May 2011 to January 2013. He was the Party Secretary 
of  CSAHC  and  the  President,  the  Deputy  Party  Secretary  and  the  Vice  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  the  Company  from 
January 2013 to December 2016. Since December 2016 to date, Mr. Tan has been the President, Director and Deputy 
Party  Secretary  of  CSAHC  and  the  President,  the  Deputy  Party  Secretary  and  the  Vice  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  the 
Company. Mr. Tan has been a member of the 11th CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee since January 2016.

Yuan Xin An, male, aged 60, graduated from Air Force Engineer University in Xi’an, majoring in Aeronautical Machinery, 
and  is  a  senior  engineer.  Mr.  Yuan  is  a  CPC  member  and  began  his  career  in  December  1976.  He  served  as  the 
Chief  Inspector  of  Quality  Supervision  Division  of  Maintenance  Factory  of  Guangzhou  Bureau  of  the  Civil  Aviation 
Administration, the Manager of Inspection and Vice Director of Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., Ltd. 
from 1987 to 1997. He was the Vice President of Engineering Department of the Company from April 1997 to October 
1998. Mr. Yuan then served as the Vice President of the Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., Ltd. from 
October 1998 to November 2000. He became the Chief Engineer and the General Manager of Engineering Department 
of  the  Company  from  November  2000  to  April  2002.  He  was  then  the  Standing  Member  of  Party  Committee  and  the 
Vice President of the Company from April 2002 to February 2007. He served as the Assistant of President of CSAHC 
and was also the Standing member of Party Committee and the Executive Vice President of the Company from February 
2007 to December 2007. He has been the Party Member and the Executive Vice President of CSAHC since September 
2007,  and  has  held  a  concurrent  post  of  Chief  Legal  Adviser  of  CSAHC  since  July  2008.  Since  November  2011,  Mr. 
Yuan has been the Director of the Company. For now, he is also appointed as the Chairman of Guangzhou Southern 
Airlines  Construction  Company  Limited,  Chairman  of  MTU  Maintenance  Zhuhai  Co.,  Ltd.,  and  Chairman  of  Shenzhen 
Air Catering Co., Ltd., and also non-executive Director of TravelSky Technology Limited and Director of China Aircraft 
Services Limited. Mr. Yuan has been a standing member of the 13th CPPCC Guangdong Provincial Committee since 
December 2016.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees099

Yang Li Hua, female, aged 61, graduated with a Master degree from the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC 
majoring in economics. Ms. Yang is a CPC member who began her career in February 1973. She served as the Deputy 
Head of In-flight Service Team of the Chief Flight Corps Team of the Beijing Bureau of Civil Aviation Administration and 
the Head of the In-flight Service Team, Manager of In-flight Service Division of Air China International Corporation from 
1984 to 1995. She served as the Deputy Head of the Chief Flight Team of Air China International Corporation from July 
1995 to September 2000. Subsequently, she was appointed as the General Manager of the Passenger Cabin Service 
Division and Party Secretary of Air China International Corporation from September 2000 to October 2002. She was the 
Vice President of Air China International Corporation from October 2002 to September 2004. After that, she served as 
Standing Member of Party Committee and the Vice President of Air China Limited from September 2004 to May 2009. 
From May 2009 to July 2016, Ms. Yang had been the Party Member and Vice President of CSAHC. From July 2010 to 
August 2012, Ms. Yang also acted as the Chairman of the Labour Union of CSAHC. Since January 2013, Ms. Yang has 
been the Director of the Company. For now, she also acts as Chairman of GSC, Chairman of SACM and Chairman of 
China Southern Airlines Group Property Management Company Limited.

Zhang  Zi  Fang,  male,  aged  58,  graduated  with  a  college  degree  from  foundation  science  profession  for  Party 
administrative cadres of Liaoning University. While Mr. Zhang was at work, he obtained an Executive Master of Business 
Administration  (EMBA)  degree  from  Tsinghua  University  and  is  a  senior  expert  of  political  science.  Mr.  Zhang  is  a 
CPC member and began his career in February 1976. He served as Deputy Commissar of the China Northern Airlines 
Company  as  well  as  the  Deputy  Commissar  of  the  Office,  Deputy  Commissar  of  Shenyang  Flight  Team  from  1993  to 
2000. He served as the Party Secretary of the Jilin Branch of China Northern Airlines Company and the General Manager 
of Dalian Branch from 2000 to 2003. He had been the Director of Political Works Department of CSAHC from October 
2003  to  February  2005.  Subsequently,  Mr.  Zhang  was  appointed  as  the  Deputy  Party  Secretary  and  Secretary  of  the 
Commission  for  Discipline  of  the  Company  from  February  2005  to  December  2007.  He  had  been  the  Vice  President 
and the Deputy Party Secretary of the Company  from  December 2007  to  February 2009.  He  was  the  Party Secretary 
and  the  Vice  President  of  the  Company  from  February  2009  to  August  2011.  Mr.  Zhang  has  been  the  Director  of  the 
Company since June 2009. He had been the Party member of CSAHC and the Party Secretary, the Vice President and 
the Director of the Company from August 2011 to April 2016. He had acted as the Party Member of the CSAHC and the 
Director,  Party  Secretary,  the  Vice  President  of  the  Company  as  well  as  the  Director  and  Chairman  of  Henan  Airlines 
from April 2016 to August 2016. Mr. Zhang has been Deputy Party Secretary, Vice President of CSAHC and Director, 
Party Secretary, the Vice President of the Company as well as the Director and Chairman of Henan Airlines since August 
2016.  For  now,  he  also  serves  as  Vice  Director  General  of  China  Air  Transport  Association  and  Guangdong  Lingnan 
Culture Development Foundation.

Li  Shao  Bin,  male,  aged  52,  graduated  with  a  college  degree  from  Chinese  Language  and  Literature  of  Xiangtan 
Teachers’  College.  While  Mr.  Li  was  at  work,  he  obtained  a  university  degree  from  the  Party  School  of  the  Central 
Committee of CPC majoring in economics and management and is an expert of political science. Mr. Li is a CPC member 
and began his career in July 1984. He served as the Deputy Director of Promotion Division of Political Department of 
the  Guangzhou  Bureau  of  Civil  Aviation  Administration,  the  Director  of  Promotion  Department  of  the  Company  and 
the Deputy Director of Promotion Department of the China Southern Airlines (Group) Company from 1992 to 1999. He 
had  been  the  Director  of  Political  Division  of  Flight  Department  of  the  Company  from  December  1999  to  May  2002. 
Mr. Li was the Deputy Party Secretary of Flight Department and Director of Political Division of the Company from May 
2002  to  May  2004.  Subsequently,  he  was  appointed  as  the  Party  Secretary  of  Guangzhou  Flight  Operations  Division 
of the Company from May 2004 to March 2006. Mr. Li served as the Party Secretary and Deputy General Manager of 
Guangzhou Flight Operations Division of the Company from March 2006 to July 2012. Mr. Li has been the Chairman of 
the Labour Union of the Company since July 2012 and the Director of the Company since January 2013. For now, Mr. 
Li also serves as the Chairman of Guangzhou Southern Airlines Project Supervision Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Southern 
Airlines Pearl Service Co., Ltd.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016100

Ning  Xiang  Dong,  male,  aged  51,  graduated  from  the  Quantitative  Economics  Faculty  of  the  School  of  Economics 
and Management of Tsinghua University with a doctor degree. Mr. Ning began his career in 1990 and served as the 
assistant,  lecturer  and  associate  professor  at  Tsinghua  University  and  the  executive  deputy  director  of  the  National 
Center  for  Economic  Research  (NCER)  at  Tsinghua  University.  He  was  also  a  visiting  scholar  at  Harvard  Business 
School, University of Illinois, University of New South Wales, University of Sydney and the Chinese University of Hong 
Kong, and the independent director of a number of listed companies including Datang Telecom Technology Co., Ltd., 
Shantui Construction Machine Co., Ltd., Hong Yuan Securities Co., Ltd. and Goer Tek Inc. Currently, he serves as the 
professor and the doctorate-tutor of the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University and the executive 
director of Centre for Corporate Governance of Tsinghua University. Mr. Ning has been the independent non-executive 
director of the Company since 29 December 2010. He is also the independent director of a number of listed companies 
including  Aerospace  Hi-Tech  Holding  Group  Co.,  Ltd.,  Sichuan  Changhong  Electric  Company  Limited,  Yango  Group 
Co., Ltd. and Weichai Power Co., Ltd as well as the independent director of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation.

Liu Chang Le, male, aged 65, was conferred an honorary doctoral degree in literature by the City University of Hong 
Kong and an honorary fellow by the United International College, and is a founder of Phoenix Satellite Television. Mr. 
Liu  has  been  the  Chairman  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  Phoenix  Satellite  Television  Company  Limited  since  1996 
and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Limited, a company listed on the 
Stock  Exchange  since  2000.  Mr.  Liu  gained  widespread  recognition  both  locally  and  overseas  for  his  enthusiasm  for 
and achievements in the media industry. Mr. Liu is the recipient of numerous titles and awards, among which include 
“Wiseman  of  the  Media  Industry”,  “the  Most  Innovative  Chinese  Business  Leaders  in  the  Asia  Pacific  Region”,  “the 
Most Entrepreneurial Chinese Business Leaders”, and has been awarded the “Robert Mundell Successful World CEO 
Award”, the “Man of Year for Asia Brand Innovation Award”, the “Person of the Year” award of the Chinese Business 
Leaders Annual Meeting, the “Business Person of the Year” award of DHL/SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards 2012, 
the “Outstanding Contribution Award” by 2015 Singapore Asian Television Awards. Since 2005, Mr. Liu has been the 
Chairman  of  the  iEMMYs  Festival.  In  2008,  Mr.  Liu  received  the  International  Emmy  Directorate  Award  granted  by 
International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Mr. Liu was appointed as honorary chairman of World Chinese-
language Media Cooperation Alliance in 2009 and appointed as special consultant to the 8th Council of the Buddhist 
Association  of  China  in  2010.  In  2014,  he  was  appointed  as  Vice  President  of  the  6th  council  of  The  Buddha’s  Light 
International  Association,  Board  of  Directors  of  Headquarters.  Mr.  Liu  was  a  member  of  the  Tenth  and  the  Eleventh 
National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, served as the Vice Chairman of the sub-
committee on Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sport of the Eleventh National Committee of the Chinese People’s 
Political Consultative Conference, and is serving as a member of standing committee of the Twelfth National Committee 
of  the  Chinese  People’s  Political  Consultative  Conference.  Mr.  Liu  has  been  appointed  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  by  the 
government  of  the  Hong  Kong  Special  Administrative  Region.  Mr.  Liu  was  awarded  the  Silver  Bauhinia  Star  Medal  in 
2010 and Gold Bauhinia Star Medal in 2016 by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mr. 
Liu has been the independent non-executive director of the Company since 30 November 2011.

Tan Jin Song, male, aged 52, graduated from Renmin University of China with an on-job doctor degree in Accounting. 
Mr.  Tan  is  a  Chinese  Certified  Public  Accountant.  Mr.  Tan  began  his  career  in  1985  and  was  a  teacher  in  Shaoyang 
School of Finance and Accounting of Hunan Province and the Deputy Dean of the School of Management of Zhongshan 
University. Mr. Tan is currently a professor and a doctorate-tutor of the School of Management of Zhongshan University. 
He is also a member of the MPAcc Education Instruction Committee, a member of China Institute of Internal Audit, Vice 
President of Guangdong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of China Audit Society. Currently, Mr. Tan 
also serves as the independent director of Poly Real Estate Company Limited, Guangzhou Hengyun Enterprises Holdings 
Limited, Shanghai RAAS Blood Products Co., Ltd. and Zhuhai Huafa Industrial Company Limited. In addition, Mr. Tan 
also  acts  as  the  independent  non-executive  director  of  Welling  Holding  Limited.  Mr.  Tan  has  been  the  independent 
non-executive director of the Company since 26 December 2013.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees101

Guo Wei, male, aged 54, graduated from the Management Faculty of the Management Department of Graduate School 
of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (formerly known as the Graduate School of University of Science and Technology 
of China) with a master degree in Engineering. Mr. Guo has extensive experience in business strategy development and 
business management. Mr. Guo was an executive director and Senior Vice President of Lenovo Group, Vice Chairman, 
President and the Chief Executive Officer of Digital China Holdings Limited (Digital China), director of Digiwin Software 
Co., Ltd. Currently, Mr. Guo serves as chairman of the board of Digital China and directors of a number of subsidiaries 
and associated companies of Digital China. Mr. Guo also acts as the president of Digital China Group Co., Ltd., Chairman 
of  Digital  China  Information  Service  Company  Ltd.,  Director  of  Kosalaki  Investments  Limited  and  Director  of  Beijing 
Shougang  Fund  Co.,Ltd.  In  addition,  Mr.  Guo  was  also  a  member  of  the  Twelfth  National  Committee  of  the  Chinese 
People’s  Political  Consultative  Conference,  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Committee  of  the  Advisory  Committee  for  State 
Informatization and the president of the Sixth Council of Chinese Private Technology Entrepreneur Association. Mr. Guo 
was the recipient of numerous titles and important awards, among which include Top Ten Outstanding Youths in China 
(2002), the Future Economic Leaders in China (2003) and the First Session of China Youth Entrepreneurs Management 
Innovation award (2005), and was rated as one of the TOP 50 Most Influential Business Leaders in China consecutively 
for 2011, 2012 and 2013 by Fortune (Chinese version). Mr Guo has been the independent non-executive director of the 
Company since 30 June 2015.

Jiao Shu Ge, male, aged 51, with a Master degree, first graduated from the Control Theory Faculty of the Department of 
Mathematics of Shangdong University with a bachelor degree, and then graduated from the Systems Engineering Faculty 
of No. 2 Research Institute of the Ministry of Aerospace Industry with a Master’s degree in Engineering. Mr. Jiao has 
extensive experience in funds management and equity management. Currently, Mr. Jiao is the Director and President of 
CDH China Management Company Limited (CDH Investments). He was a computer researcher of 710 Research Institute 
of  the  former  Ministry  of  Aerospace  Industry  of  China,  the  Deputy  General  Manager  of  Direct  Investment  Department 
of  China  International  Capital  Corporation  Ltd.  (CICC)  and  is  the  founder  of  CDH  Investments.  Mr.  Jiao  was  the  non-
executive directors of China Yurun Food Group Limited and China Shanshui Cement Group Limited. Currently, he is also 
the Director of the associated companies of CDH Investments, the independent non-executive director of China Mengniu 
Dairy Company Limited, the independent non-executive director and Vice Chairman of WH Group Limited, the director 
of Joyoung Co., Ltd., the Vice President of Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co.,Ltd. and the directors of a 
number of companies including Beijing TaiYang Pharmaceutical Industry Company Limited, Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., 
Inner Mongolia Hetao Spirit Group Co., Ltd., Fujian Nanping Nanfu Battery Co.,Ltd. and Shanghai Qingchen Real Estate 
Development Co., Ltd. Mr Jiao has been the independent non-executive director of the Company since 30 June 2015.

Supervisors
Pan Fu, male, aged 54, graduated with a master degree from  Chongqing  University  majoring  in Power  Systems and 
Automation,  and  is  a  senior  engineer.  Mr.  Pan  is  a  CPC  member  and  began  his  career  in  July  1986,  and  served 
successively  as  the  Deputy  Head  of  the  Planning  Department  of  Electric  Power  Industry  Bureau  of  Yunnan  Province, 
the Deputy Director of the Planning & Development Department of Yunnan Electric Power Group Co., Ltd., the Deputy 
Director and director of Kunming Power Plant, the Deputy Chief Engineer and chief engineer of Yunnan Electric Power 
Corporation  from  1994  to  2003.  He  served  as  the  deputy  director  (work  as  chair)  and  Director  of  the  Department  of 
Security  Supervision  of  China  Southern  Power  Grid  Company  Ltd.  from  February  2003  to  April  2004;  served  as  the 
Director of the China Southern Power Grid Technology and Research Center from April 2004 to January 2005, and served 
as the General Manager (legal representative) and Deputy Party Secretary of the Guizhou Power Grid Corporation from 
January  2005  to  November  2007.  Mr.  Pan  served  as  the  Director  of  the  Planning  Development  Department  of  China 
Southern Power Grid Company Ltd. from November 2007 to November 2010. Mr. Pan has been the party member and 
team leader of the Discipline Inspection Commission of CSAHC since November 2010 and the supervisor & chairman 
of the Supervisory Committee of the Company since December 2010.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016102

Li  Jia  Shi,  male,  aged  55,  graduated  from  Guangdong  Polytechnic  Normal  University  majoring  in  Economics  and 
Mathematics, and obtained an Economic Administration bachelor degree from Correspondence School under the Party 
School of the CPC Central Committee and an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from Tsinghua 
University and is an expert of political science. Mr. Li is a CPC member and began his career in August 1976. He served 
as the Deputy Head (work as chair) of the Organization Division of the Party Committee of the China Southern Airlines 
(Group) Company, the party secretary of Guangzhou Nanland Air Catering Company Limited from 1994 to 1999. Mr. Li 
served as the head of the Organization Division of the Party Committee of CSAHC from December 1999 to December 
2003; and served as the Deputy Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee and the Director of the Disciplinary Committee 
Office of the Company from December 2003 to December 2007. Mr. Li served as a member of the Standing Committee 
of  the  CPC,  the  Secretary  of  the  Disciplinary  Committee  and  the  Director  of  the  Disciplinary  Committee  Office  of  the 
Company  from  December  2007  to  February  2012.  Mr.  Li  has  been  the  supervisor  of  the  Company  since  June  2009. 
He has been the team deputy leader of the Discipline Inspection Commission of CSAHC, and member of the Standing 
Committee of the CPC, Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee and Director of the Disciplinary Committee Office, and 
supervisor of the Company since February 2012. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of Southern Airlines Culture and 
Media Co., Ltd.

Zhang Wei, female, aged 50, has a master degree. She graduated from Tianjin University majoring in Investment Skills 
and Economics and is a senior accountant. Ms. Zhang is a CPC member and began her career in September 1988. 
She successively served as the General Manager Assistant of China Southern Airlines (Group) Company, the Deputy 
General Manager of the Finance Department of the Company, and the Deputy Director of the Supervisory Bureau and 
the  Director  of  the  Audit  Division  of  CSAHC  from  1999  to  2006.  Ms.  Zhang  served  as  the  General  Manager  and  the 
Secretary of CPC General Branch of Southern Airlines Group Finance Company Limited from August 2006 to October 
2007; served as the Deputy Director of the Supervisory Bureau and the Director of the Audit Division of CSAHC from 
October 2007 to October 2008. She has been appointed as Supervisor of the Company since June 2008; Since October 
2008 till now, she has been the Director of the Audit Division of CSAHC and the Supervisor of the Company. Ms. Zhang 
has been a part-time Supervisor of the Board of Supervisors of Stated-owned Enterprises dispatched by SASAC on behalf 
of the State Council to CSAHC since January 2010, and has been a member of the Discipline Inspection Commission of 
CSAHC since February 2012. For now, she also acts as the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Southern Airlines 
Group Finance Company Limited, Southern Airlines Culture and Media Co., Ltd., Supervisor of MTU Maintenance Zhuhai 
Co., Ltd. and the Director of Guangzhou Southern Airlines Construction Co., Ltd.

Yang Yi Hua, female, aged 56, has an Economic Administration bachelor degree from Correspondence School under 
the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. She is an accountant and also a CPC member who began her career 
in  August  1977.  From  1996  to  2002,  she  first  acted  as  Financial  Manager  of  the  Company  and  then  Deputy  General 
Manager of CSAHC’s Audit Department. Ms. Yang has been the General Manager of the Company’s Audit Department 
from May 2002 to September 2015, and the Supervisor of the Company since June 2004. For now, she is also appointed 
as  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Guangzhou  Air  Cargo  Terminals  Company  Limited  and  Supervisor  of 
Guangzhou Southern Airlines Supervision of Construction Company Limited.

Wu  De  Ming,  male,  aged  58,  obtained  a  university  bachelor  degree  from  South  China  Normal  University  College  of 
Continuing Education majoring in Political Administration, and is an Administration Engineer. He is a CPC member and 
began  his  career  in  February  1976.  From  1991  to  2001,  he  was  first  appointed  as  political  section’s  deputy  director 
of  the  operation  department  of  the  Company,  then  member  of  the  Party  Committee,  Deputy  Secretary  of  the  Party 
Committee and secretary of Committee for Discipline Inspection of Guangzhou ticket office of the Company, then Deputy 
Secretary and Secretary of Party General Branch of the ticket office at the Transportation Department of the Company, 
and then Secretary of Party General Branch at Passenger Traffic Department of the Transportation Department of the 
Company.  He  was  appointed  as  Director  of  the  Disciplinary  Supervision  Department  of  CSAHC  from  March  2001  to 
December 2003, and General Director of the Supervision Bureau and Chief Officer of Disciplinary Committee Office of 
CSAHC from December 2003 to April 2009. He has been a member of Party Committee of the Marketing Management 
Committee of the Company, secretary to the Disciplinary Committee and Chairman of the Labour Union from April 2009 
to November 2015, a member of Party Committee of the Marketing Management Committee of the Company, secretary 
to the Disciplinary Committee since November 2015 and has been the Supervisor of the Company since December 2013.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees103

Senior Management
Xiao Li Xin, male, aged 50, graduated from Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences with a master degree in Economics 
and then obtained an on-job Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from Tsinghua University. He 
is a qualified senior accountant and a certified public accountant. Mr. Xiao is a CPC member and began his career in 
July 1991. He served as the General Manager Assistant and Deputy General Manager of the Finance Department of the 
Company from 1999 to 2002, and served as the General Manager and Deputy Secretary of the General Party Branch 
of the Finance Department of the Company from January 2002 to February 2007. Mr. Xiao served as the deputy chief 
accountant  and  general  manager  of  the  Finance  Department  of  the  Company  from  February  2007  to  October  2007, 
and  served  as  the  General  Manager  and  Secretary  of  the  General  Party  Branch  of  Southern  Airlines  Group  Finance 
Company  Limited  from  October  2007  to  February  2008.  He  served  as  the  General  Manager  and  Party  Secretary  of 
Southern  Airlines  Group  Finance  Company  Limited  from  February  2008  to  March  2015.  Mr.  Xiao  has  been  the  Chief 
Accountant and Chief Financial Officer of the Company since March 2015 to October 2016. From October 2016 till now, 
he has served as Party member and Chief Accountant of CSAHC and Chief Accountant and Chief Financial Officer of 
the Company. For now, he also serves as director of Guangzhou Air Cargo Terminals Company Limited, Chairman of 
Guizhou Airlines, Chairman of Xiamen Airlines, Director of Shantou Airlines as well as Director of China Southern Airlines 
Overseas (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd.

Ren Ji Dong, male, aged 52, graduated from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, majoring in Aircraft 
Engine Design and obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from Tsinghua University, 
and he is a senior engineer. Mr. Ren is a CPC member and began his career in August 1986. Mr. Ren served as the 
No.  2  Workshop  Manager,  Deputy  Plant  Manager  and  Deputy  General  Manager  of  Engineering  Department  of  the 
aircraft maintenance factory of Urumqi Civil Aviation Administration (Xinjiang Airlines) from 1995 to 2000. He served as 
the  Deputy  Director  (deputy  general  manager)  and  a  member  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  CPC  of  Urumqi  Civil 
Aviation Administration (Xinjiang Airlines) from January 2000 to December 2001, and a member of the party committee 
and the Deputy General Manager of Xinjiang Airlines from December 2001 to June 2004, and the Party Secretary and 
Deputy  General  Manager  of  CSAHC  Xinjiang  Company  from  June  2004  to  December  2004,  the  Party  Secretary  and 
Deputy  General  Manager  of  Xinjiang  Branch  of  the  Company  from  January  2005  to  February  2015,  a  member  of  the 
Standing Committee of the CPC and the Executive Vice President of the Company from March 2005 to February 2007; 
a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC of the Company and the General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary 
of Xinjiang Branch from January 2007 to April 2009. Mr. Ren has been a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC 
of the Company and the Executive Vice President of the Company since May 2009.

Zhang  Zheng  Rong,  male,  aged  54,  has  a  college  degree  from  Civil  Aviation  Flight  University  of  China  majoring 
in  Aircraft  Piloting,  and  obtained  an  on-job  Executive  Master  of  Business  Administration  (EMBA)  degree  from  Jinan 
University. He is a CPC member and began his career in February 1982. He serviced as Vice Captain of the Fifth Sub-
Flight Corps under Sixth Flight Corps of Civil Aviation Administration, Sub-Captain, Vice Captain and Captain of China 
Southern Airlines Flight Corps, Vice President of Flight Corps of the Company, Vice Manager of Department of Security 
Supervision  of  the  Company,  as  well  as  General  Manager  of  Guangzhou  Flight  Division  of  the  Company.  In  August 
2007, he was appointed as Chief Pilot of the Company and General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of Guangzhou 
Flight Division of the Company. From June to July 2012, he serviced as the Chief Pilot and Director of Aviation Security 
Department of CSAHC and in July 2012, he serviced as the chief pilot and Aviation Security Minister of China Southern 
Airlines (Group) Company. From April 2014 to January 2017, he acted as Chief Pilot, Chief Safety Officer and Director 
of Aviation Security Department of CSAHC. Since January 2017, he has been the Chief Pilot of CSAHC and COO and 
Director of Duty Office of the Company.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016104

Guo  Zhi  Qiang,  male,  aged  53,  is  an  economist  who  graduated  with  a  master  degree  from  Party  School  of  Xinjiang 

Uyghur Autonomous Region majoring in Business Administration. Mr. Guo is a CPC member and began his career in 

January 1981. He successively served as the Xi’an Office manager, Beijing Office manager and General Manager of 

Transportation  Department  of  Xinjiang  Airlines  Manager;  the  Deputy  General  Manager  of  Xinjiang  Airlines;  the  Beijing 

Office Director of CSAHC, the General Manager and the Party Secretary of China Southern Airlines Beijing Office from 

1995  to  2004.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  CPC  and  the  Deputy  General  Manager  of 

CSAHC Xinjiang Branch from June 2004 to December 2004, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC and the 

Deputy  General  Manager  of  China  Southern  Airlines  Xinjiang  Branch  from  January  2005  to  December  2005.  Mr.  Guo 

served  as  a  member  of  Party  Committee  and  the  Deputy  General  Manager  of  the  Shenzhen  Branch  of  the  Company 

from December 2005 to February 2008 and the President and Chief Executive Officer as well as Deputy Party Secretary 

of Chongqing Airlines Company Limited from February 2008 to May 2009. He served as a member of Party Committee 

and the Deputy Director of the Commercial Steering Committee of the Company from May 2009 to September 2009, the 

Director and Deputy Party Secretary of the Commercial Steering Committee of the Company from September 2009 to 

September 2012. Mr. Guo acted as the COO Marketing and Sales of the Company, the Director and the Deputy Party 

Secretary of the Commercial Steering Committee of the Company from September 2012 to July 2014. Mr. Guo has been 

the COO Marketing and Sales of the Company since July 2014. For now, he also serves as Chairman of China Southern 

Jia Yuan (Guangzhou) Air Products Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Nanland Air Catering Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Baiyun International 

Logistics Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou China Southern PRC Zhongmian Dutyfree Store Co., Limited.

Wang Zhi Xue, male, aged 56, has a college degree from Civil Aviation Flight University of China majoring in Aircraft 

Piloting, and obtained an on-job university degree from Civil Aviation Flight University of China majoring in Wingmanship, 

and is a command pilot. Mr. Wang is a CPC member, and began his career in February 1981. Mr. Wang successively 

served as the Deputy General Manager and Manager of the Flight Safety Technology Division of Zhuhai Airlines Company 

Limited,  the  Senior  Flight  Instructor  of  Model  B737,  Deputy  Chief  Pilot  and  Director  of  the  Flight  Safety  Technology 

Division  as  well  as  the  Deputy  Chief  Pilot  and  Manager  of  the  Flight  Safety  Technology  Management  Division  from 

1995  to  2002  of  Shantou  Airlines  Company  Limited  of  CSAHC.  He  also  acted  as  the  Deputy  General  Manager  of 

Shantou Airlines Company Limited from June 2002 to October 2004, and the General Manager of the Flight Management 

Division of the Company from October 2004 to February 2009, and the General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary 

of Guangzhou Flight Division of the Company from February 2009 to July 2012. Mr. Wang has been a member of the 

Standing Committee of the CPC, Executive Vice President and chief pilot of the Company from August 2012 to December 

2016. He has been a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC and Executive Vice President of the Company from 

December 2016 until now. For now, he also serves as Chairman of Zhuhai Airlines.

Li Tong Bin, male, aged 55, has college qualification and graduated from Civil Aviation Institute of China majoring in 

Maintenance of Aircraft Electrical Equipment. He obtained on-job Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Hainan 

University and Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) form Tsinghua University, and is a senior engineer. 

Mr. Li is a CPC member and began his career in August 1983, and successively served as the Deputy Head of Technical 

Division  of  Aircraft  Maintenance  Plant,  the  head  of  Maintenance  Plant  and  the  deputy  director  of  Aircraft  Engineering 

Department (aircraft maintenance base), the Director of Aircraft Engineering Department (aircraft maintenance base) of 

China Northern Airlines Company, the General Manager of Jilin branch of China Northern Airlines Company from 1994 

to 2003. He also acted as the Deputy General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of Zhuhai Airlines Company Limited 

from September 2004 to January 2005, the General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of Zhuhai Airlines Company 

Limited from January 2005 to April 2012, and the party secretary and Deputy General Manager of Northern Branch of 

the Company from April 2012 to April 2014. Mr. Li was the Chief Engineer, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary 

of Aircraft Engineering Department of the Company from April 2014 to August 2015. Mr. Li has been a member of the 

Standing Committee of the CPC, Executive Vice President and Chief Manager, as well as General Manager and Deputy 

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees105

Party  Secretary  of  Aircraft  Engineering  Department  of  the  Company  since  September  2015  to  December  2016.  From 

December 2016 till now, he has been a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC, Executive Vice President and 

Chief Manager. For now, Mr. Li also serves as Chairman of Shenyang Northern Aircraft Maintenance Co., Ltd., Southern 

Airlines Group Import and Export Trading Company and Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., Ltd.

Yang Ben Sen, male, aged 59, has a college degree from Civil Aviation Flight University of China majoring in Aircraft 

Piloting. He is a CPC member and began his career in December 1978. He was appointed as Secondary Captain of 

Sixth Flight Corps of Civil Aviation Administration, Director of Technology Division, Vice Captain and Captain of Flight 

Corps of Urumqi Civil Aviation Administration as well as General Manager, Deputy Party Secretary of Flight Corps Urumqi 

Civil  Aviation  Administration.  In  January  2002,  he  serviced  as  General  Manager  and  Deputy  Party  Secretary  of  Flight 

Department of Xinjiang Airlines and acted as Vice General Manager of CSAHC Xinjiang Company in December 2002. In 

January 2005, he acted as Party member and Deputy General Manager of Xinjiang Branch of the Company. From July 

2005 to January 2017, he was appointed as Party member, Party Secretary and Deputy General Manager of Xinjiang 

Branch of the Company. Since January 2017, he has been Chief Pilot of the Company.

Su Liang, male, aged 54, graduated from the University of Cranfield, United Kingdom with a master degree majoring 

in Air Transport Management, and is an engineer. Mr. Su is a CPC member and began his career in December 1981. 

From  1998  to  2000,  he  successively  served  as  Deputy  General  Manager  of  the  Flight  Operations  Division,  Deputy 

General Manager and Manager of Planning and Management Division of CSAHC Shenzhen Company. Mr. Su was the 

Secretary to the Board of the Company from July 2000 to December 2003, the Secretary to the Board and Director of 

Board Secretariat of the Company from December 2003 to November 2005, the Secretary to the Board and Vice Director 

of  Commercial  Steering  Committee  of  the  Company  from  November  2005  to  February  2006,  the  Company  Secretary 

and director of Company Secretary Office and Vice Director of Commercial Steering Committee of the Company from 

February 2006 to January 2007, and the Secretary to the Board and Director of Company Secretary Office from January 

2007 to December 2007. Mr. Su has been the Chief Economist of the Company since December 2007. For now, he also 

serves as Director of Sichuan Airlines.

Chen  Wei  Hua,  male,  aged  50,  graduated  from  the  School  of  Law  of  Peking  University  with  a  bachelor  degree,  who 

is an economist, a qualified lawyer in the PRC and a qualified corporate legal counselor. Mr. Chen is a CPC member 

and joined the aviation industry in July 1988. He successively served as Deputy Director of CSAHC, Deputy Director of 

the Office (director of the Legal Department) of the Company and CSAHC from 1997 to 2004. Mr. Chen was the Chief 

Legal Adviser of the Company and Director of the Legal Department of the Company from June 2004 to October 2008. 

Mr. Chen has been the General Counsel and General Manager of the Legal Department of the Company since October 

2008. For now, he also acts as Director of Xiamen Airlines.

Xie Bing, male, aged 43, with a university degree, graduated from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 

majoring in Civil Aviation Management. He subsequently received a master degree of business administration, a master 

degree of business administration (international banking and finance) and an Executive Master of Business Administration 

(EMBA) degree from Jinan University, the University of Birmingham, Britain and Tsinghua University, respectively. Mr. 

Xie is a Senior Economist, fellow member of The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries, and has the qualification 

for Company Secretary of companies listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange and also has the qualification for Company 

Secretary  of  companies  listed  on  Stock  Exchange.  Mr.  Xie  is  a  CPC  member  and  began  his  career  in  July  1995.  He 

successively served as the Assistant of Company Secretary of the Company, and the Executive Secretary of the General 

Office  of  CSAHC  from  2003  to  2007.  Mr.  Xie  has  been  the  Company  Secretary  and  Deputy  Director  of  the  Company 

Secretary Office from November 2007 to December 2009. Mr. Xie has been the Company Secretary and Director of the 

Company Secretary Office since December 2009.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016106

Feng Hua Nan, male, aged 54, graduated with a college degree from China Civil Aviation Flying College, majoring in 

Aircraft Piloting, and obtained an on-job master degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Beijing University of Aeronautics 

and  Astronautics  and  an  Executive  Master  of  Business  Administration  (EMBA)  from  the  School  of  Economics  and 

Management of Tsinghua University. He is a commanding pilot. Mr. Feng is a CPC member and began his career in 

January 1983. He successively served as the Director of Zhuhai Flight Training Centre of China Southern Airlines (Group) 

Company  and  the  Deputy  General  Manager  of  Flight  Operation  Division  of  the  Company  from  1994  to  1999.  He  was 

the General Manager of Flight Safety Technology Department from December 1999 to October 2002, and the General 

Manager  of  Flight  Technology  Management  Department  of  the  Company  from  November  2002  to  September  2004. 

Mr. Feng also served as the Party Secretary and Deputy General Manager of Guizhou Airlines Company Limited from 

September 2004 to February 2006, and then served as the General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of Guizhou 

Airlines Company Limited from February 2006 to July 2014. He has been the COO Flight Safety of the Company since 

August 2014. For now, he also serves as President of Zhuhai Xiang Yi Aviation Technology Co., Ltd., China Southern 

Airlines General Aviation Limited and China Southern West Australia Flight College.

Guo Jian Ye, male, aged 54, graduated with a master degree from Party School of Civil Aviation Flight University of China 

majoring in Aircraft Piloting. He got the at-job university degree from South China Normal University majoring in Political 

Education  in  Education  Management  Department.  He  also  obtained  a  master’s  degree  from  the  Party  School  of  the 

Central Committee of CPC majoring in economics and management He is a CPC member and began his career in May 

1980. He was appointed as Committee Secretary, Director of Advertising and Promotion Department of CAAC Central 

and Southern Regional Administration, Director of Air Transportation Administration Political Office of CAAC Central and 

Southern Regional Administration, Vice Director of Air Transportation Administration under CAAC Central and Southern 

Regional  Administration  and  General  Manager,  Vice  Director  of  Guangdong  CAAC  Central  and  Southern  Industrial 

Co., Ltd., Head of CAAC Henan Safety Supervision Office, Director of Safety Supervision Administration, Secretary of 

standing committee and the member of standing committee of CAAC Central and Southern Regional Administration, as 

well as the Vice Director. In July 2012, he serviced as a member of standing committee, General Manager and Deputy 

Party Secretary of Heilongjiang Branch of the Company. From July 2014 to January 2017, he acted as a Party member, 

Director and Deputy Party Secretary of marketing management committee of the Company. Since January 2017, he has 

been the Chief Customer Officer of the Company.

Save  as  disclosed  above,  none  of  the  above  Directors,  Supervisors  or  senior  management  of  the  Company  has  any 

relationship with any Directors, Supervisors, senior management, substantial shareholders of the Company.

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees107

II.  PARENT COMPANY AND EMPLOYEES OF THE MAJOR SUBSIDIARIES

(I) 

Employees

As at 31 December 2016, the Group had an aggregate of 93,132 employees (31 December 2015: 87,202).

Number of current staff in the parent company

in major subsidiaries

current staff

68,317

24,815

93,132

Number of current staff 

Total number of 

Professions composition

Categories by profession

Pilots

Cabin attendants (including part-time security personnel)

Air marshals

Engineering unit

Navigation unit

Passenger transportation unit

Cargo transportation unit

Ground services unit

Information unit

Financial unit

Others

Total

Educational level

Categories by education levels

Postgraduates

Undergraduates

Junior college

Technical School or below

Total

Number of professionals

8,126

18,177

2,040

15,078

2,397

9,354

6,683

9,738

1,330

2,429

17,780

93,132

Number (by person)

2,955

35,838

28,826

25,513

93,132

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
108

(II)  Professions Composition Chart and Education Composition Chart

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and Employees17,7802,4299,7389,3542,0402,39718,1778,12615,0786,6831,3302016Professions Composition(personnel)Cabin attendants (including part-time security personnel)PilotsAir marshalsNavigation unitEngineering unitPassenger transportation unitCargo transportation unitGround services unitInformation unitFinancial unitOthers25,51328,82635,8382,9552016Education Composition(personnel)UndergraduatesPostgraduatesJunior collegeTechnical School or below109

(III)  Emolument Policy of Employees

During the reporting period, the Group constantly improved remuneration and labor management, strived to push ahead 

the  management  process  of  “integrated  employment”  taking  “post  management”  as  the  guiding  ideology,  included 

various temporary workers and contract workers into a unified salary system, and gradually unified the compensation & 

benefit policies of all posts while establishing various career development channels based on characteristics of posts, 

which basically realized the goal of “equal pay for equal work”. The Company optimized and adjusted the benefits of 

pilots  and  aircraft  maintenance  personnel  due  to  the  adjustment  of  national  provident  fund  policy  and  the  improved 

compensation level for pilots, aircraft maintenance personnel and other key position, which increased the employee’s 

enthusiasm and enhanced the Company’s cohesive force, producing positive impact on safety production and operation 

of the Company.

(IV)  Training Plan

The Company’s training plan for 2017 is as follows:

The first is to focus on the key training programs. In respect of training for cabin attendants, we are planning to train 2,113 

new recruited cabin attendants, air marshals and foreign cabin attendants, 1,303 business-class cabins attendants and 

695 directors and chief attendants, so as to perfect and popularize “3+3” training mode for new cabin attendants, and 

greatly improve the service capacity of the Company. In respect of leadership training, we will keep carrying forward 

the “380 talents plan”, develop the management training in a normalized and standardized manner, and explores and 

establish such training curriculum systems and lecturer teams for management fit for the Company. In aspect of language 

training, we are to organize service English test for 2,400 pilots and 10,000 cabin attendants. In addition, we are to open 

special training on complaint settling, passenger and freight sales agent, etc., and do well in the training of 957 new 

employees in the mixed O2O mode.

The  second  is  to  create  the  standardized,  electronized  and  productized  curriculum  system.  The  unification  and 

standardization reform of face-to-face courses is advanced continuously to establish the standardized training curriculum 

system for cabin attendants. In aspect of online courses, we will vigorously develop the courses, and provide at least 

100  online  E-learning  courses,  at  least  500  online  App  micro  courses,  and  at  least  1,000  micro  courses  on  We-Chat 

platform. We will facilitate the introduction of customized feature courses in combination with “China Southern e-travel”.

The  third  is  to  accelerate  the  establishment  of  such  educational  training  system  with  China  Southern  Airlines’s 

characteristics. We will setup the training system led by Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, continue 

to  promote  the  integrated  construction  of  PC  terminal  and  mobile  APP  platform,  introduce  the  video  data  acquisition, 

long-distance  live  and  recorded  broadcasting  and  real-time  interactional  function,  and  create  smart  classrooms  with 

AR/VR and other new technologies to realize the transformation from training management to platform operation, and 

explore and establish new training system covering staff learning map.

(V)  Labor outsourcing

Total working hours of labor outsourcing

Total remuneration paid for labor outsourcing (RMB)

46,300,000 hours

2,284 million

Directors, Supervisors, Senior Management and EmployeesChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
Place

Time
14: 00 Beside Passengers

China Southern Airlines – Diligent, 
pragmatic and dare to make 
innovation

“ S t a n d a r d i z a t i o n , i n t e g r a t i o n , i n t e l l e c t u a l i z a t i o n a n d 

internationalization” has been determined as our strategic 

o r i e n t a t i o n . O n t h e b a s i s o f s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n , w e h a v e 

strengthened the strategic collaboration for the integration of 

“China Southern Airlines Conglomerate” and launched the 

innovative “China Southern e-Travel” to promote international 

development of China Southern Airlines.

112

It  is  the  firm  belief  of  the  Company  that  a  good  and  solid  corporate  governance  framework  is  essential  to  the  sustained 
development of the Company and the enhancement of shareholders’ value. The Company has always strived to strictly comply 
with  the  regulatory  requirements  of  the  China  Securities  Regulatory  Commission,  the  Shanghai  Stock  Exchange,  the  Stock 
Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange Inc. and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and is committed to 
attaining and maintaining high standards of corporate governance and adopts principles of corporate governance emphasizing 
a quality board, accountability to all stakeholders, open communication and fair disclosure.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE
The Board has reviewed the corporate governance practices of the Company, and considers that the Company has applied 
the principles of the corporate governance practices and adopted sound governance and disclosure practices accordingly. 
The Group has complied with the code provisions of the Corporate Governance Code as set out in Appendix 14 of the Listing 
Rules for the year ended 31 December 2016.

The corporate governance practices adopted by the Company are summarized below.

THE BOARD
The  Board  manages  the  Company  on  behalf  of  shareholders  with  the  objective  of  enhancing  the  shareholder  value.  The 
Board, headed by the Chairman, is responsible for the formulation and the approval of the Group’s development and business 
strategies  and  policies,  approval  of  annual  budgets  and  business  plans,  recommendation  of  dividend,  ensuring  a  prudent 
and  effective  internal  control  system  and  monitoring  the  performance  of  the  management  in  accordance  with  the  Articles  of 
Association, the rules and procedures of shareholders’ general meeting and the rules and procedures of board meeting.

The major issues which were brought before the Board for their decisions included:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Direction of the operational strategies of the Group;

Setting the policies relating to key business and financial objectives of the Company;

Monitoring the performance of the management;

Approval of material acquisitions, investments, disposal of assets or any significant capital expenditure of the Group;

Ensuring a prudent and effective internal control system; and

Review of the financial performance and results of the Company.

Under  the  leadership  of  the  President,  the  management  of  the  Company  is  responsible  for  the  day-to-day  operations  of  the 
Group. The roles of the Chairman are separated from that of the President. Such division of responsibilities allows a balance 
of  power  between  the  Board  and  the  management  of  the  Group,  and  ensures  their  independence  and  accountability.  The 
Chairman is the leader of the Board and he oversees the Board so that it acts in the best interests of the Group. The Chairman is 
responsible for deciding the agenda for each Board meeting, taking into account, where appropriate, matters proposed by other 
Directors for inclusion in the agenda. The Chairman has an overall responsibility for providing leadership, vision and direction in 
the development of the business of the Company. The President, assisted by the Executive Vice Presidents, is responsible for 
the day-to-day management of the business of the Group, attends to the formulation and successful implementation of policies, 
and assumes full accountability to the Board for all operations of the Group. Working with the Executive Vice Presidents and 
the executive management team of each core business division, the President ensures the effective operations and sustained 
development of the Group. He maintains a continuing dialogue with the Chairman and all Directors to keep them fully informed 
of all major business development issues. He is also responsible for building and maintaining an effective executive team to 
support  him  in  his  role.  The  Chairman  and  the  President  are  not  connected  with  each  other.  None  of  the  other  Directors  is 
connected with one another.

As  at  31  December  2016,  the  members  of  the  Seventh  Session  of  the  Board  comprise  three  non-executive  Directors,  three 
executive Directors and five independent non-executive Directors. Save as Mr. Si Xian Min resigned as Chairman, non-executive 
Director on 15 January 2016, all of the Directors shall hold their offices until the expiry of the terms of the Seventh Session of 
the Board. The brief biographical details of the Directors are set out on pages 97 to 101 of this Annual Report.

Corporate Governance Report113

The Board held 37 meetings in 2016, all of which were convened in accordance with the Articles of Association. The Company 
held two general meetings in 2016, the Directors actively participated general meeting in person and have been doing their 
best to develop a balanced understanding of the views of shareholders.

The individual attendance of each Director, on a named basis, is as follows:

Name of Directors

Non-Executive Directors
Wang Chang Shun (Chairman) (appointed on 27 May 2016)
Si Xian Min (resigned on 15 January 2016)
Yuan Xin An
Yang Li Hua

Executive Directors
Tan Wan Geng (Vice Chairman and President)
Zhang Zi Fang (Executive Vice President)
Li Shao Bin

Independent non-executive Directors
Ning Xiang Dong
Liu Chang Le
Tan Jin Song
Guo Wei
Jiao Shu Ge

(No. of Board 
Attended/Eligible 
to attend

(No. of 
general meetings) 
Attended/Eligible 
to attend

26/26
0/0
37/37
37/37

37/37
37/37
37/37

37/37
37/37
37/37
37/37
37/37

0/2
0/0
2/2
1/2

2/2
1/2
2/2

1/2
0/2
2/2
1/2
2/2

The experience and views of our INEDs are held in high regard and serve as an effective guidance for the operation of the Group. 
The INEDs provide the Group with a wide range of expertise and  experience  and bring  in  independent  judgment  on  issues 
relating to the Group’s strategy, performance and management process, taking into account the interests of all shareholders. 
The  INEDs  represent  one-third  of  the  Board.  One  INED,  Tan  Jin  Song,  has  the  appropriate  professional  qualifications  of 
accounting  or  related  financial  management  expertise  under  Rule  3.10  of  the  Listing  Rules.  Pursuant  to  the  guidelines  on 
independence as set out in Rule 3.13 of the Listing Rules, the Company has received an annual independence confirmation 
from  each  INED  and  considers  that  all  the  INEDs  are  independent.  In  addition,  their  extensive  experiences  in  business  and 
finance are very important to the Company’s successful development. In 2016, the INEDs expressed their views and opinions 
about certain matters relevant to the shareholders and the Company as a whole at board meetings.

The Board has adopted a board diversity policy setting out the approach to diversity of members of the Board. The Company 
recognises and embraces the benefits of diversity of Board members. It endeavours to ensure that the Board has a balance 
of skills, experience and diversity of perspectives appropriate to the requirements of the Company’s business.

All  Board  appointments  will  continue  to  be  made  on  a  merit  basis  with  due  regard  for  the  benefits  of  diversity  of  the  Board 
members. Selection of candidates will be based on a range of diversity perspectives, including but not limited to gender, age, 
cultural and educational background, experience (professional or otherwise), skills and knowledge. The ultimate decision will 
be made upon the merits and contribution that the selected candidates will bring to the Board.

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF DIRECTORS
All Directors of the Company receive comprehensive, formal and tailored induction on appointment, so as to ensure understanding 
of the business and operations of the Group and directors’ responsibilities and obligations under the Listing Rules and relevant 
regulatory requirements.

Corporate Governance ReportChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
114

Directors of the Company are continually updated on developments in the statutory and regulatory regime, and the business 
and  market  changes  to  facilitate  the  discharge  of  their  responsibilities  and  obligations  under  the  Listing  Rules  and  relevant 
statutory requirements. Continuing briefings and professional development for directors will be arranged as necessary.

During  the  2016,  the  Company  has  provided  updates  and  coordinated  training  on  the  Listing  Rules  and  relevant  regulatory 
requirements to all Directors. All Directors have provided to the Company records indicating that they have received required 
training.

All  Directors  of  the  Company  as  at  31  December  2016  actively  participated  in  continuous  professional  development,  by 
attending external seminars, attending in–house training or reading materials, with the topics covering regulations, corporate 
governance, finance and business, to develop their knowledge and skills.

BOARD COMMITTEES
The Company has put in place a Strategic Decision-making Committee, an Audit Committee, a Remuneration and Assessment 
Committee, a Nomination Committee and further details of the roles and functions and the composition of each of the committees 
are set out below:

STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING COMMITTEE
The Strategic Decision-making Committee comprises five members and is chaired by Tan Wan Geng. The other four members 
are Wang Chang Shun as executive director and Ning Xiang Dong, Liu Chang Le and Guo Wei as independent non-executive 
director.

AUDIT COMMITTEE
The Audit Committee comprises three INEDs, one of whom, Tan Jin Song, possesses the appropriate professional qualifications 
or  accounting  or  financial  management  expertise  to  understand  financial  statements.  As  at  31  December  2016,  the  Audit 
Committee  was  chaired  by  Tan  Jin  Song  with  Ning  Xiang  Dong  and  Jiao  Shu  Ge  as  the  members  of  the  Audit  Committee. 
The  Audit  Committee  has  been  provided  with  sufficient  resources  to  discharge  its  duties  and  has  access  to  independent 
professional advice if necessary.

The  terms  of  reference  of  the  Audit  Committee  of  the  Company  are  in  compliance  with  the  provision  of  C.3.3  of  the  Code, 
and  applicable  policies,  rules  and  regulations  that  the  Company  is  subject  to.  The  details  of  the  roles  and  functions  of  the 
Audit Committee are set out in the Terms of Reference of Audit Committee of the Company which has been published on the 
websites of the Stock Exchange and the Company at “www.hkexnews.hk” and “www.csair.com”. In 2016, the Audit Committee 
carried out the work, amongst other things, to oversee the relationship with the external auditors, to review the Group’s 2016 
quarterly  results,  2016  interim  results  and  2015  annual  financial  statements,  to  monitor  compliance  with  statutory  and  listing 
requirements, to review the scope, if necessary, to engage independent legal or other advisers as it determines is necessary 
and  to  perform  investigations.  In  addition,  the  Audit  Committee  also  examined  the  effectiveness  of  the  Company’s  internal 
controls, which involves regular reviews of the internal controls of various corporate structures and business processes on a 
continuous basis, and takes into account their respective potential risks and severity, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the 
Company’s business operations and the realization of its corporate objectives and strategies. The scope of such examinations 
and  reviews  includes  finance,  operations,  regulatory  compliance  and  risk  management.  The  Audit  Committee  also  reviewed 
the Company’s internal audit plan, and submitted relevant reports and concrete recommendations to the Board on a regular 
basis.  In  respect  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  Group’s  risk  management  and  internal  control,  please  refer  to  disclosure  of  the 
section headed “Risk Management and Internal Control” of the Annual Report.

The  Audit  Committee  held  18  meetings  in  2016.  The  Audit  Committee  has  performed  all  its  obligations  under  their  terms  of 
reference. The attendance of each member of the Audit Committee is as follows:

Members of the Audit Committee

Tan Jin Song (Chairman)
Ning Xiang Dong
Jiao Shu Ge

(No. of meetings) 
Attended/Eligible  

to attend

18/18
18/18
18/18

Corporate Governance Report 
 
 
 
115

EXTERNAL AUDITORS
The Audit Committee reviewed the performance, independence and objectivity of the Company’s auditors and was satisfied 
with the results.

The Audit Committee concludes that the independence of the auditors of the Company has not been compromised by non-
audit services provided for the Group.

The 2013 and 2014 annual general meetings considered and approved the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong 
Tian  LLP  to  provide  professional  services  to  the  Company  for  its  domestic  financial  reporting,  U.S.  financial  reporting  and 
internal control for the year 2014 and year 2015, respectively and PricewaterhouseCoopers to provide professional services to 
the Company for its Hong Kong financial reporting for the year 2014 and year 2015, respectively.

A resolution was approved at the 2015 annual general meeting of the Company for the appointment of KPMG Huazhen LLP to 
provide professional services to the Company for its domestic financial reporting, U.S. financial reporting and internal control 
reporting for the year 2016 and KPMG to provide professional services to the Company for its Hong Kong financial reporting 
for the year 2016.

The  following  table  sets  forth  the  type  of,  and  fees  for,  the  principal  audit  services  and  non-audit  services  provided  by  the 
Company’s external auditor to the Group in 2015 and 2016:

Audit fees
Non-audit fees

Total

2016
RMB Million

2015
RMB Million

13
0

13

15
0

15

REMUNERATION AND ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE
As at 31 December 2016, the Remuneration and Assessment Committee comprises three members and chaired by Ning Xiang 
Dong (INED) together with Guo Wei (INED) and Yuan Xin An (NED) as members.

The main responsibilities of the Remuneration and Assessment Committee are to make recommendations to the Board on the 
remuneration policy, structure and packages for Directors and senior management of the Company, and to establish regular and 
transparent procedures on remuneration policy development and improvement. In particular, the Remuneration and Assessment 
Committee has the duty to ensure that the Directors or any of their associates shall not be involved in the determination of their 
own remuneration packages. The details of the roles and functions of the Remuneration and Assessment Committee are set 
out in the Terms of Reference of Remuneration and Assessment Committee of the Company which has been published on the 
websites of the Stock Exchange and the Company at “www.hkexnews.hk” and “www.csair.com”.

The Remuneration and Assessment Committee held 1 meeting in 2016, which was held according to its rules and procedures. 
The meeting reviewed the total remuneration accounts for the year 2014, the total remuneration budgets and accounts for the 
year 2015 and the total remuneration budget for the year 2016. The attendance of each member is as follows.

Members of Remuneration and Assessment Committee

Ning Xiang Dong (Chairman)
Guo Wei
Yuan Xin An

(No. of meeting) 
Attended/Eligible 
to attend

1/1
1/1
1/1

Corporate Governance ReportChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
116

The  Remuneration  and  Assessment  Committee  consulted,  when  appropriate,  the  Chairman  and/or  the  President  about  its 
proposals relating to the remuneration of other executive Directors. The Remuneration and Assessment Committee is provided 
with  sufficient  resources  to  discharge  its  duties  and  professional  advice  is  available  if  necessary.  The  Remuneration  and 
Assessment  Committee  is  also  responsible  for  assessing  performance  of  executive  Directors  and  approving  the  terms  of 
executive  Directors’  service  contracts.  The  Remuneration  and  Assessment  Committee  has  performed  all  its  responsibilities 
under its terms of reference in 2016.

NOMINATION COMMITTEE
As at 31 December 2016, the Nomination Committee consists of three members, including Wang Chang Shun (non-executive 
director) as chairman and Tan Jin Song (INED) and Jiao Shu Ge (INED) as members. The responsibilities of the Nomination 
Committee  are  to  make  recommendations  to  the  Board  in  respect  of  the  size  and  composition  of  the  Board  based  on  the 
operational activities, assets and shareholding structure of the Company; study the selection criteria and procedures of Directors 
and Senior Management and give advice to the Board by consideration of the board diversity policy; identify qualified candidates 
for  Directors  and  Senior  Management;  investigate  and  propose  candidates  for  Directors  and  Senior  Management  and  other 
senior management members to the Board.

In  accordance  with  relevant  laws  and  regulations  as  well  as  the  provisions  of  the  Articles  of  Association,  the  Nomination 
Committee shall study and resolve on the selection criteria, procedures and terms of office for Directors and managers with 
reference to the Company’s actual situation and the  board diversity  policy. Any resolution  made  in  this  regard shall  be  filed 
and proposed to the Board for approval and shall be implemented accordingly. The Nomination Committee is provided with 
sufficient  resources  to discharge its duties and independently  engage intermediate  agencies  to  provide  professional  advice 
on its proposals if necessary. The details of the roles and functions of the Nomination Committee are set out in the Terms of 
Reference of Nomination Committee of the Company which has been published on the websites of the Stock Exchange and 
the Company at “www.hkexnews.hk” and “www.csair.com”.

The Nomination Committee held 2 meetings in 2016, to nominate Mr. Wang Chang Shun as the non-executive director of the 
Company and the Chairman of the Seventh Nomination Committee of the Board. The Nomination Committee has performed all its 
obligations under their terms of reference in 2016. The attendance of each member of the Nomination Committee is as follows:

Members of the Nomination Committee

Wang Chang Shun (Chairman) (appointed on 27 May 2016)
Si Xian Min (Chairman) (resigned on 15 January 2016)
Tan Jin Song
Jiao Shu Ge

(No. of meetings) 
Attended/Eligible 
to attend

0/0
0/0
2/2
2/2

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FUNCTIONS
The  Board  is  responsible  for  performing  the  corporate  governance  duties  set  out  in  the  code  provision  D.3.1  of  the  revised 
Corporate Governance Code.

During the year, the Board reviewed the compliance of the Model Code and disclosure in this Corporate Governance Report 
during the Board meeting to approve the annual result.

MODEL CODE FOR SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS BY DIRECTORS AND 
SUPERVISORS OF LISTED ISSUERS
Having  made  specific  enquiries  with  all  the  Directors  and  Supervisors,  they  confirmed  that  the  Directors  had  for  the  year 
ended 31 December 2016 complied with the Model Code. The code of conduct adopted by the Company regarding securities 
transactions by Directors and Supervisors is no less stringent than the Model Code.

Corporate Governance Report 
 
 
 
117

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The  following  statement,  which  sets  out  the  responsibilities  of  the  Directors  in  relation  to  the  financial  statements,  should  be 
read in conjunction with, but distinguished from, the reports prepared by the auditor of the Company, which acknowledges the 
reporting responsibilities of the Group’s auditor.

The Directors are responsible for the preparation of periodic accounts for each financial year which should give a true and fair 
view of the state of affairs, results and cash flows of the Group during that period.

The responsibilities of the Company’s external auditor, KPMG, are set out on page 138 to 139. The Directors consider that in 
preparing the financial statements, the Group uses appropriate accounting policies that are consistently applied, and that all 
applicable accounting standards are followed.

The Directors are responsible for ensuring that the Group keeps accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy of 
the financial position of the Group and which enables the preparation of financial statements in accordance with PRC laws and 
regulations and disclosure requirements of the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance and the applicable accounting standards.

COMMUNICATIONS WITH SHAREHOLDERS AND INVESTOR RELATIONS
The Board believes that a transparent and timely disclosure of the Group’s information will enable shareholders and investors 
to make the best investment decision and to have better understanding on the Group’s business performance and strategies. 
It is also vital for developing and maintaining continuing investor relations with the Company’s potential and existing investors.

During the reporting period, the Company, in an active manner and transparent working environment, enhanced communications 
with investors by holding results presentations, non-trading roadshows, investigations, teleconference and online communications, 
so as to make honest and sufficient communications with investors continually. The Company has talked with more than 800 
analysts,  fund  managers  and  investors.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  Company  is  dedicated  to  building  a  brand-new  “responsive” 
network  of  investor  relations  to  improve  the  interactive  experience  with  investors  so  that  investors  will  be  able  to  download 
material information including reports and tables of financial summary.

During  the  reporting  period,  the  Company,  in  strict  compliance  with  laws  and  regulations,  manages  investors  by  level, 
classification and time. The Company adhere to the management pattern in which major leaders of the Company participate 
in annual results presentations, secretary to the Board is responsible for organizing and coordinating the daily management of 
investor relations and work team of investor relations directly manage investor relations. Meanwhile, the Company continuously 
deepens its research in shareholder structure to specifically classify the investors so as to maintain effective and professional 
investor relations according to different requirements and natures of investors including existing investors, potential investors, 
institutional investors and individual investors. In addition, the Company develops its business by making solid foundation for 
daily management of investor relations and also by providing project-by-project management of investor relations.

During the reporting period, the Company, in strict compliance with supervision regulations, maintains sufficient contact with 
capital market to establish a smooth communication channel, which improves  investors’ acknowledge and  understanding  of 
the  Company  and  also  extensively  obtains  suggestions  and  advice  from  investors  about  the  Company.  Therefore,  we  can 
report such recommendations and options about capital market to the management, and also discuss market information with 
business department. It acts as a bridge for management of investor relations.

Investors and the public may refer to the Company’s website (www.csair.com) to understand and obtain details relating to our 
corporate  governance  structure,  organizational  structure,  stock  information,  production  statistics,  results  announcement  and 
other announcements. The procedures are as follows:

1. 

2. 

Open the Home page of the Company’s website and click “Investor Relations”

Click the content you want to read

Corporate Governance ReportChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016118

For  enquiries  about  shareholders’  general  meetings  and  Board  meetings,  investors  may  contact  the  Company  Secretary 
by  phone  at  (8620)8612-4462,  by  fax  to  (8620)8665-9040  or  by  e-mail  to  ir@csair.com.  Investors  may  also  raise  questions 
directly at the annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings. Enquiries about attending annual general meetings 
or extraordinary general meetings and the procedures for proposing resolutions at such meetings may also be made to the 
Company Secretary by the above means.

INFORMATION DISCLOSURE
The Company has strictly complied with the relevant listing rules of all the listing places to perform its information disclosure 
obligation truthfully, accurately, completely, timely and fair.

During  the  reporting  period,  the  Company,  in  accordance  with  the  latest  regulation  requirements,  continued  to  optimize  the 
information disclosure procedures, enhanced the quality of information disclosure. The Company also further strengthens the 
management on material information report and submission of major subsidiaries by clearly refining the working procedures. 
The  Company  made  in  place  the  Information  Disclosure  Postponing  and  Exempted  Business  Management  System  of  China 
Southern Airlines Company Limited in order to enhance risk control capability and better monitor the public sentiment so as to 
make sure the Company will quickly respond to the market changes and satisfy the demands of investors.

In August 2016, the Annual Report 2015 for H shares of the Company won the 30th international ARC (Annual Report Competition) 
BRONZE WINNER.

AMENDMENTS MADE TO ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
According to the relevant requirements regarding the online voting and separately counting votes of minority shareholders as 
set out in the Guidance on the Articles of Association of Listed Companies (Revised in 2014) (Zheng Jian Hui Gong Gao [2014] 
No. 47) issued by China Securities Regulatory Commission, and in order to satisfy the operation and management needs, on 
28  August  2015,  the  Board  proposed  to  make  amendments  to  the  Articles  of  Association  (the  “Proposed  Amendment”).  For 
details, please refer to the announcement of the Company dated 28 August 2015. The Proposed Amendment was approved 
by the shareholders of the Company on 27 May 2016.

Save as disclosed above, during the 2016, there was no other amendments made to the Articles of Association.

SHAREHOLDERS’ RIGHTS
As  one  of  the  measures  to  safeguard  shareholders’  interests  and  rights,  separate  resolutions  are  proposed  at  shareholders’ 
meetings on each substantial issue, including the election of individual directors, for shareholders’ consideration and voting. 
All  resolutions  put  forward  at  shareholders’  meetings  will  be  voted  by  poll  pursuant  to  the  Listing  Rules  and  the  poll  results 
will be published on the websites of the Stock Exchange and the Company at “www.hkexnews.hk” and “www.csair.com” after 
the relevant shareholders’ meetings.

Extraordinary  general  meetings  may  be  convened  by  the  Board  on  written  requisition  of  shareholder(s)  individually  or  jointly 
holding 10% or more of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares carrying voting rights pursuant to Article 79 (3) of the 
Articles of Association. Such requisition must be stated in the agenda to be addressed in general meeting and signed by the 
applicant and then reported to the Board and Company Secretary of the Company in written form. Shareholders should follow 
the requirements and procedures as set out in such Article for convening an extraordinary general meeting.

For putting forward any enquiries to the Board, shareholders may send written enquiries to the Company. Shareholders may 
send their enquiries or requests in respect of their rights as mentioned above to the Company’s board company secretary office 
or via email as set out in the above section headed “Communications with shareholders and investors and investor relations”.

OTHERS
As a company incorporated in the PRC and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the 
New York Stock Exchange, the Company is required to comply with the applicable PRC laws and regulations, Hong Kong laws 
and regulations, and applicable laws and regulations of U.S. federal securities.

Corporate Governance Report119

I.  BASIC SITUATION OF CORPORATE BONDS

Name

Abbreviation

Code

Issue date

Expiry Date

Outstanding 
balance of 
corporate 
bonds

Corporate bonds

15 China Southern 

136053

20 November 

20 November 

3,000

Airlines 01

2015

2020

Corporate bonds

16 China Southern 

136256

3 March 2016

3 March 2019

5,000

Airlines 01

Corporate bonds

16 China Southern 

136452

25 May 2016

25 May 2021

5,000

Airlines 02

Unit: RMB million

Interest 
rate

Repayment of principal 
and interest

3.63% Pay interests once a year, 
pay back principal plus 
interests when due

2.97% Pay interests once a year, 
pay back principal plus 
interests when due

3.12% Pay interests once a year, 
pay back principal plus 
interests when due

Trading floor

Shanghai Stock 
Exchange

Shanghai Stock 
Exchange

Shanghai Stock 
Exchange

Repayment of principal and interest of corporate bonds
On 21 November 2016, the Company settled the interests of 2015 corporate bonds of China Southern Airlines Company Limited 
(the first tranche, hereinafter referred to as “Current Bonds”) from 20 November 2015 to 19 November 2016. The coupon rate of 
Current Bonds was 3.63%. For each lot of bonds with a carrying amount of RMB1,000, interests of RMB36.30 (before tax) will 
be paid. Holders of individual bonds will be paid RMB29.04 for every RMB1,000 of bonds (after tax). Interests paid to holders 
of non-resident enterprises (including QFII, RQFII) were RMB32.67 for every RMB1,000 current bonds they effectively held.

II.  CONTACT PERSON & INFORMATION FOR TRUSTEE MANAGEMENT OF 

CORPORATE BONDS AND THE CONTACT INFORMATION OF CREDIT 
RATING AGENCY

Name

Office business

Contact persons

Contact numbers

Name

Office business

Trustee of bonds

Credit rating agency

Guosen 
Securities Co., 
Ltd. (“Guosen 
Securities”)

Floors 16-26, Guosen Securities 
Tower, No. 1012 Hongling Middle 
Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen

Zhou Lei, Ke Fangyu

13501582885, 
18688983432

Lianhe Credit Information 
Service Co., Ltd.

No. 80 Qufu Avenue, 
Heping District, Tianjin

III.  USE OF PROCEEDS BY CORPORATE BONDS
The fund raised by the Company through issuing 2016 Corporate Bonds of the China Southern Airlines Company Limited (First 
Tranche) on 3 March 2016 has a balance of RMB4,999.75 million after deduction of the issuance cost, all of which were used 
for repayment of bank loans.

The  fund  raised  by  the  Company  through  issuing  2016  Corporate  Bonds  of  the  China  Southern  Airlines  Company  Limited 
(Second  Tranche)  on  25  May  2016  has  a  balance  of  RMB4,999.75  million  after  deduction  of  the  issuance  cost,  of  which 
RMB2,000 million was used for repayment of bank loans, and the remaining fund raised was used to supplement the working 
capital.

IV.  RATING OF CORPORATE BONDS
The Company’s credit rating agency of corporate bonds is Lianhe Credit Information Service Co., Ltd., which was established 
in May 2002 with a registered capital of RMB30 million, and is one of the national companies engaged in credit rating business 
in capital market. Lianhe Credit Information Service Co., Ltd. obtained administrative license from China Securities Regulatory 
Commission to carry out credit rating business in securities market in May 2008.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Corporate Bond 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
120

V.  CREDIT ENHANCEMENT MECHANISM, DEBT REPAYMENT PLAN AND 

OTHER RELATED INFORMATION OF CORPORATE BONDS DURING THE 
REPORTING PERIOD

During the reporting period, there was no credit enhancement mechanism existing with corporate bonds of the Company.

Debt repayment plan:
The interest date of 16 China Southern Airlines No.01 corporate bonds was 3 March 2016. The interests of the bonds of the 
Company was paid once each year since the interest date, the last period interest was paid together with the repayment of 
principal, the interest date is 3 March of each year from 2017 to 2019, respectively. The repayment date of 16 China Southern 
Airlines No.01 corporate bonds was 3 March 2019. If such date is a legal holiday day or rest day, it shall be postponed to the 
first following trading day; no interest is calculated separately for each payment of interests.

The  interest  date  of  16  China  Southern  Airlines  No.02  corporate  bonds  was  25  May  2016.  The  interests  of  the  bonds  of  the 
Company was paid once each year since the interest date, the last period interest was paid together with the repayment of 
principal, the interest date is 25 May of each year from 2017 to 2021, respectively. The repayment date of 16 China Southern 
Airlines No.02 corporate bonds was 25 May 2021. If such date is a legal holiday day or rest day, it shall be postponed to the 
first following trading day; no interest is calculated separately for each payment of interests.

VI.  MEETINGS HELD BY HOLDERS OF CORPORATE BONDS
During the reporting period, the Company did not hold any meeting of holders of corporate bonds.

VII.  PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES BY TRUSTEE OF CORPORATE BONDS
In October 2015, the Company engaged Guosen Securities to act as the trustee of the current bonds, and signed Agreement 
for Trustee Management of Bonds.

Guosen Securities continuously tracks and monitors the performance by the Company of the Prospectus and agreed liabilities, 
and  continuously  monitors  the  credit  conditions,  internal  and  external  credit  enhancement  mechanism,  and  implementation 
of  debt  repayment  guarantee  measures  of  the  Company.  Guosen  Securities  also  supervises  the  receival,  reserve,  transfer 
of raised funds in special accounts and repayment of principal and interests of the Company. In accordance with Measures 
for Management on Issuance and Transaction of Corporate Bonds, Prospectus for Public Offering of Corporate Bonds 2016 
(First  Tranche)  of  China  Southern  Airlines  Company  Limited  (Intended  for  Eligible  Investors),  Prospectus  for  Public  Offering 
of  Corporate  Bonds  2016  (Second  Tranche)  of  China  Southern  Airlines  Company  Limited  (Intended  for  Eligible  Investors) 
Agreement  for  Trustee  Management,  Rules  for  Meetings  of  Holders  of  Corporate  Bonds  Publicly  Offered  by  China  Southern 
Airlines Company Limited in 2015 and other related regulations, Guosen Securities actively performed the duties as a trustee 
to safeguard the legal rights and interests of holders of corporate bonds. On 20 June 2016, Guosen Securities issued 2015 
Annual Trustee Management Report of Corporate Bonds 2015 (First Tranche) of China Southern Airlines Company Limited.

Corporate Bond121

VIII.  COMPANY’S ACCOUNTING DATA AND FINANCIAL INDICATORS IN RECENT 

TWO YEARS AT THE END OF THE REPORTING PERIOD

Unit: RMB million

Increase/
decrease as 
compared to 
the same 
period of the 
previous year 

Major indicators

EBITDA
Net cash flow from investing activities

2016

22,745
(15,750)

2015

20,151
(6,931)

(%) Reason of change

12.87

/

127.24 Mainly due to the 

Net cash flow from financing activities

(8,459)

(27,695)

(69.46) Mainly due to the increase 

increase of advance 
payment for aircraft and 
flight equipment during 
the reporting period

Balance of cash and cash equivalence at 

4,152

4,560

the end of the period

in cash received from 
issuance of bonds 
during the reporting 
period
(8.95) Mainly due to the 

increase of advance 
payment for aircraft and 
flight equipment during 
the reporting period

Current ratio
Quick ratio
Asset-liability ratio
EBITDA-to-total debts ratio
Interest cover ratio
Cash interest cover ratio
EBITDA-to-interest coverage ratio
Loan repayment rate
Interest coverage ratio

0.20
0.18
72.57
15.64
3
8
7
100%
100%

0.22
0.19
73.32
14.78
3
9
8
100%
100%

(9.09)
(5.26)
(1.02)
5.82
/
(11.11)
(12.50)
/
/

/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/

IX. 

INTEREST PAYMENT AND ENCASHMENT OF OTHER BONDS AND DEBT 
FINANCING INSTRUMENTS OF THE COMPANY

On 24 May 2016, the second tranche of Ultra-short-term Financing Bills of the Company in 2015 expired and the principal and 
interests totaling RMB2,029,901,639.34 were fully paid.

On 26 July 2016, the third tranche of Ultra-short-term Financing Bills of the Company in 2016 expired and the principal and 
interests totaling RMB2,014,301,369.86 were fully paid.

On 19 August 2016, the first tranche of Ultra-short-term Financing Bills of the Company in 2015 expired and the principal and 
interests totaling RMB3,070,819,672.13 were fully paid.

On 26 August 2016, the third tranche of Ultra-short-term Financing Bills of the Company in 2015 expired and the principal and 
interests totaling RMB3,069,416,393.44 were fully paid.

On 16 September 2016, the second tranche of Ultra-short-term Financing Bills of the Company in 2016 expired and the principal 
and interests totaling RMB2,025,501,369.86 were fully paid.

On 23 September 2016, the fourth tranche of Ultra-short-term Financing Bills of the Company in 2016 expired and the principal 
and interests totaling RMB2,014,064,657.53 were fully paid.

Corporate BondChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
122

On 21 November 2016, the first tranche of Ultra-short-term Financing Bills of the Company in 2016 expired and the principal 
and interests totaling RMB2,039,245,901.64 were fully paid.

On  27  July  2016,  the  second  tranche  of  Xiamen  Airlines  2016  Ultra-short-term  Financing  Bills  expired  and  the  principal  and 
interests totaling RMB1,309,295,890.41 were fully paid.

On 11 August 2016, the third tranche of Xiamen Airlines 2016 Ultra-short-term Financing Bills expired and the principal and 
interests totaling RMB1,309,167,671.23 were fully paid.

On 14 September 2016, the fourth tranche of Xiamen Airlines 2016 Ultra-short-term Financing Bills expired and the principal 
and interests totaling RMB807,680,000.00 were fully paid.

On 20 October 2016, the fifth tranche of Xiamen Airlines 2016 Ultra-short-term Financing Bills expired and the principal and 
interests totaling RMB506,061,643.84 were fully paid.

X.  BANK CREDIT-GRANTING OF THE COMPANY DURING THE REPORTING 

PERIOD

As at 31 December 2016, the Group has gained from many domestic banks the line of credit with a ceiling of RMB139.274 
billion for 2016 and future years, among which the used bank line of credit is about RMB29.075 billion and the unused is about 
RMB110.199 billion.

During the reporting period, the Group repaid bank borrowings amounting approximately to RMB46.695 billion.

XI.  COMPANY’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RELEVANT AGREEMENTS OR 

COMMITMENTS AS SPECIFIED IN BOND PROSPECTUS DURING THE 
REPORTING PERIOD

During  the  reporting  period,  the  Company,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  in  Prospectus  for  Public  Offering  of  Corporate 
Bonds 2016 (First Tranche) of China Southern Airlines Company Limited (Intended for Eligible Investors), Prospectus for Public 
Offering of Corporate Bonds 2016 (Second Tranche) of China Southern Airlines Company Limited (Intended for Eligible Investors) 
(hereinafter  referred  to  as  “Prospectus”),  utilized  the  fund  raised  by  the  current  bonds  deducted  by  the  issuance  expenses 
for repayment of bank loans and supplement of working capital. The Company accepted the supervision by investors in strict 
accordance  with  the  Prospectus  and  the  related  rules  for  information  disclosure,  and  strictly  complied  with  the  agreements 
and commitments made by the Company.

XII.  IMPACT OF MAJOR EVENTS ON THE COMPANY’S OPERATION AND DEBT-

PAYING ABILITY

During  the  reporting  period,  no  major  events  producing  great  impact  on  operation  and  debt-paying  ability  of  the  Company 
happened.

Corporate Bond123

The  Board  is  responsible  for  maintaining  sound  and  effective  risk  management  and  internal  control  systems,  and  reviewing 
its  effective  to  ensure  the  safety  of  shareholder  investment  and  corporate  assets.  The  risk  management  and  internal  control 
systems are designed to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve business objectives, and can only provide 
reasonable but not absolute assurance.

The Board has existing process to identify, assess and manage major risks to which Group is exposed. It is part of the process 
to  renew  the  risk  management  and  internal  control  systems  in  case  of  changes  in  operating  environment  or  regulation.  The 
Board has conducted a review of, and is satisfied with the effectiveness of the Group’s risk management and internal control 
systems for the financial year ended 31 December 2016.

I.  DISCLAIMER ON INTERNAL CONTROL AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 

INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEM

The  Board  is  responsible  for  establishing  perfect  internal  control  system  and  effectively  implementing  such  internal  control 
system, evaluating its effectiveness, accurately disclosing the assessment report on the relevant internal control. The objectives 
of  the  internal  control  system  are  to  the  legitimacy  and  compliance  of  operating  management,  the  safety  of  assets,  and  the 
truthfulness and completeness of relevant information, to improve the operation efficiency and effectiveness, and to promote 
the  realization  of  development  strategies  of  the  Company.  Given  the  inherent  limitations  of  the  internal  control  system,  only 
reasonable assurance can be provided for the above objectives.

The board of directors has carried out self-assessment on the effective of relevant internal control in accordance with the “Basic 
Standard for Enterprise Internal Control” and its supporting guidelines, and has considered it effective as at 31 December 2016 
(being the base date of assessment report) and free from significant or important deficiencies in internal control on financial 
reporting. In addition, no significant or important deficiencies in internal control on non-financial reporting were identified.

II.  PARTICULARS OF THE AUDIT REPORT ON THE COMPANY’S INTERNAL 

CONTROL

KPMG Huazhen LLP was engaged by the Company to conduct an audit on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control 
over financial reporting and issued an unqualified audit report.

For details of the audit report on the Company’s internal control, please visit the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

III.  PARTICULARS OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS FOR MAJOR ERRORS 

IN ANNUAL REPORTS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATIONS

The  Company  established  the  “Information  Disclosure  Management  System”  in  June  2007,  the  “Material  Inside  Information 
Reporting  System”  in  April  2008,  and  the  “Insider  Information  Management  System”  in  December  2009,  and  also  made 
amendments in accordance with requirements of the regulatory bodies. With these systems in place, the Company regulated 
its work on the dissemination and disclosure of inside information, and clearly defined the requirements of accountability for 
major errors in disclosure of information, including those in annual reports.

During the reporting period, no major errors were found in the Company’s annual report.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016Risk management and Internal Control124

IMPLEMENTATION OF EVALUATION OF INTERNAL CONTROL

IV. 
(I)  Organizational structure of internal control

The Company adopts the decentralized management of internal control, and has set out the linear project management 
structure  composed  of  the  Board,  Audit  Committee,  Internal  Control  Project  Committee,  Internal  Control  Team,  and 
business units and departments, which is shown as follows:

The Board is responsible for approving the final achievements, and submitting annual statement on risk management 
and internal control systems. The Internal Control Project Committee is responsible for approving the project plan and 
important matters relating to the project, and supervising the project progress. The Internal Control Committee is required 
to review and approving the project planning and achievements in each progress, and reviewing the management and 
decision-making of material matters in the implementation process to identify great defects. The Internal Control Team 
is  responsible  for  the  specific  organization  and  implementation  of  the  project.  All  business  units  and  departments  is 
responsible for maintaining their respective internal control measures on-going and effective, describing and updating 
their  respective  business  processes  and  control  points,  identifying  the  record  documents,  recognizing  the  significant 
control measures, and organizing the rectification of defects.

(2)  Evaluation procedures of internal control

Based  on  the  internal  control  framework  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organisations  of  the  U.S.  Treadway 
Commission  (“COSO”),  the  evaluation  of  internal  control  of  the  Company  is  designed  on  five  components  of  internal 
control, and fully complies with relevant requirement of U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act, PRC Standard Regulations on Corporate 
Internal Control and its supporting guidelines. In order to comply with the further enhanced requirement on corporate 
governance  under  the  Listing  Rules  in  2016,  the  Company  employs  a  professional  independent  third-party  institution 
for guidance.

The Company has determined the content involved in the evaluation of internal control in the qualitative and quantitative 
principles, mainly including the Company-level internal control framework and the internal control at the level of business 
process. The Company-level internal control framework is based on the five components set down by the COSO, namely 
control  environment,  risk  assessment,  control  activities,  information  and  communication,  and  monitoring.  The  level  of 
business  process  fully  reflects  the  industrial  characteristics  of  aviation  transport  enterprises.  The  evaluation  content 
covers  the  information  related  to  both  financial  reports  and  non-financial  reports,  and  the  evaluated  units  include  the 
Company itself and all of its branches (subsidiaries), bases and even the general aviation subsidiaries and investment 
unit.

Risk management and Internal ControlBoardAudit CommitteeInternal Control Project CommitteeInternal Control TeamBusiness units and departments125

The Company performs the annual evaluation of internal control in the flow of plan, record, test, rectification and report 
stages.

Firstly, the internal control at the level of the Company and the business process is recorded and updated by means of 
interview, questionnaire, etc. in order to identify and control the risks. The walk-through test is performed to evaluate the 
effectiveness of the design of internal control. Secondly, the risks are marked and ranked to determine area with high, 
moderate and low risks and screen out key risk control points by combing the risk control points. These key risk control 
points are tested in the two halves of the year by means of observation, interview, re-calculation, inspection, confirmation, 
knowledge evaluation, system inquiry, etc. so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of internal control.

In case of any defects of the internal control, the Company will analyze the cause of such defects, put forward rectification 
opinions  and  management  suggestions  and  urge  the  process  principal  concerned  to  develop  effective  rectification 
measures and implement the same for rectification purposes to eventually achieve effective risk control. Once great or 
major defects of internal control are found, they will be reported to the Internal Control Project Committee without delay.

(3)  Key features of the evaluation of internal control

With  years  of  accumulation,  the  evaluation  of  internal  control  of  the  Company  has  gradually  developed  the  working 
method and characteristics adapted to the management pattern of the Company. Firstly, the management structure has 
defined responsibility, clear division of work and clear path of reporting complying with the listing regulatory requirements 
in the US, the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong. Secondly, the evaluation covers most organization, relates 
to full processes and has a complete set of basic data.

V.  SUMMARY OF RISK MANAGEMENT AND INTERNAL CONTROL
The  Board  recognizes  its  responsibility  for  supervising  the  risk  management  and  internal  control  system  of  the  Group  and 
reviews the effectiveness of the same at least once a year by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee assists the Board in 
performing its role in supervising finance, operation, compliance, risk management and internal monitoring as well as financial 
and internal audit function resources of the Group and in corporate governance. The Company has the internal audit function.

Based on the disclosure above, appropriate policies and monitoring have been established and formulated to ensure that the 
encumbered assets will not be used or disposed of without approval and comply with and abide by relevant laws, regulations 
and  rules.  Reliable  financial  and  accounting  records  are  kept  in  accordance  with  the  relevant  accounting  standards  and 
regulatory requirements. Major risks with potential effect on the performance of the Group are properly identified and managed. 
The system and the internal control can only make a reasonable but not absolute guarantee to prevent major misrepresentations 
or losses, which are designed to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failing to meet business objectives.

The Company regulates the processing and issuance of insider information in accordance with a number of insider information 
disclosure  procedures  to  ensure  the  proper  maintenance  of  confidentiality  prior  to  the  disclosure  of  such  information  and  to 
publish such information in an efficient and consistent manner.

As disclosed above, the Audit Committee held 18 meetings in 2016, where the risk management and internal control systems 
of the Group were reviewed. For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Board has conducted through the Audit Committee 
an annual review of the effectiveness of the risk management and internal control systems of the Group covering all significant 
financial, operating and compliance controls, and considers the risk management and internal control of the Group is effective 
and adequate.

Risk management and Internal ControlChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016126

Starting from 2007, the Company began to voluntarily publish a report on social responsibilities to the public. We are the first 
enterprise  in  the  civil  aviation  industry  of  China  which  publishes  a  report  on  social  responsibilities.  We  believe  that  through 
such reports, the public can better understand the ideologies and actions of the Company in respect of social responsibilities. 
This will promote communication and interaction between the Company and the public and facilitate the harmony, win-win and 
sustainable development of enterprise and society.

In 2016, the Company focused on “Sunshine CSA” (陽光南航) to effectively fulfill its corporate social responsibilities.

Adhere to sustainable operation to reduce the impact on environment.
Environmental  protection  is  one  of  our  core  principles.  We  has  gradually  established  the  energy  management  system  by 
focusing on climatic changes and hazes, and optimizing the fleets and routes. In 2016, the Company led to introduce airbus 
A320neo  and  other  new  generation  environmental  aircraft, 
which greatly lowered fuel consumption and emission. As a 
result,  routes  for  over  120,000  flights  were  optimized,  over 
20,000  tonnes  of  aviation  fuel  were  saved  and  over  60,000 
tonnes of CO2 emission were reduced during the year.

Focus on customer experience to 
improve service quality.
Guided  by  market  demand,  we  spared  no  effort  to  create 
“China  Southern  e-travel”,  and  strived  to  realize  the  target 
of  “A  Single  Device  For  Everything”  by  seamless  providing 
e-services in the whole travel. We mainly improved the flight 
on-time performance concerned most by passengers, so the 
flight on-time performance in 2016 reached the best in recent 
five years.

Social Responsibility127

Create vigorous workplace and focusing on staff training.
We conducted over 10,000 training of different types to facilitate staff growth and guide their career planning. We cared for 
the  physical  and  psychological  health  of  our  employees  by  preparing  CSA  staff  health  guide  and  providing  psychological 
consultation free of charge. We actively cared for our female employees, employees with economic difficulties and our retired 
staff, so as to create a vigorous and equal workplace full of happiness.

Facilitate social harmony through active contribution to the society.
We  always  regard  community  return  as  one  of  our  important  due  responsibilities.  The  Company  actively  implemented  the 
national strategy of “One Belt and One Road”, and became the largest air carrier of “One Belt and One Road”. The Company  
undertaken  international  peacekeeping,  government  chartering,  rescue  and  relief  and  other  special  flight  missions.  Being 
people-oriented,  the  Company  led  to  open  a  green  passage  for  transportation  of  human  donated  organs  among  PRC  civil 
aviation  enterprises,  and  was  the  first  airlines  to  provide  the  “in-flight  medical  volunteers”  service.  In  order  to  implement  the 
national  targeted  poverty  alleviation  policy,  the  Company  quartered  in  Fuchong  Village,  Hubei  and  Jiayi  Tuogelake  Village, 
Xinjiang to enhance the local economic level. The Company also took an active part in overseas communities to provide long-
term sponsorship for local cultural activities, and organized various public benefit activities and volunteer activities including 
“Reading Rooms” and “10-Fen” Care. The Group donated RMB11.26 million in the year.

Social ResponsibilityChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016128

Awards received by the Company in 2016:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

“Fortune China 500” in the Fortune (Chinese version), ranking first in the transportation industry

No. 13 of “The World’s Most Loved Airlines” on SKYTRAX, ranking first among airlines in Mainland China

4th “Feike Travel Awards” – “Most Liked Mileage Accrual” and “Most Liked Mileage Conversion”

First Prize in the Contest of Innovation in Enterprise Management by the Ministry of Transport

“Top 10 Competitive PRC Logistics Enterprises” and “Top 100 Brand Value of Logistics Enterprises” in 2016

2nd China “One Belt and One Road” Innovation Award in PRC International Conference on Cross-border E-commerce 
Logistics

First Batch of Top 10 Voluntary Service Brands of Central SOEs

11th China Young Volunteers Award for Outstanding Organisation and Award for Outstanding Project

The Most Influential New Media Account of Central SOEs in 2016

ECI Award by the International E-Commerce Innovation Association (IECIA)

“Top 50 Most Valuable Airlines Brand Worldwide in 2017” by Brand Finance

Active Performance of Social Responsibility
Targeted poverty alleviation planning
The Company will continue to strengthen the efforts of poverty alleviation, effectively strengthen leading the poverty alleviation 
in the village, co-ordinate the work to promote a new situation in poverty alleviation. In the year of 2017, the Company plans 
to  send  16  new  poverty  alleviation  cadres  and  add  the  new  villages  of  Kashi,  Braque  Bessie  as  the  targeted  aided  villages 
and focus on the construction of grassroots organizations. We must do a good job in mentoring activities between the old and 
new poverty-stricken cadres, actively promote advanced work experience and do well in the mass work from the in-depth visit, 
publicity and education, sincere service, solidarity and cohesion to lay foundations for the poverty alleviation work of CSA in 
villages in the next five years.

Annual summary of targeted poverty alleviation
The Company actively implemented the national poverty alleviation policy, carried out targeted poverty alleviation, and made 
use  of  the  advantages  of  the  Company’s  route  network  and  the  gathering  of  professional  talents  to  cultivate  the  developing 
function of the local economy and help the poor areas to get out of poverty as soon as possible. We have formulated poverty 
alleviation programs and gradually promoted the task of poverty alleviation in places including Pishan County, Moyu County in 
Xinjiang, Qichun County in Hubei Province, etc. We have dispatched to the village cadres according to the actual situation of 
the aiding area and launched a series of supporting measures to help the local economy enhance sustainable development 
capacity and improve the quality of life of local people.

1. 

Fundamental poverty alleviation
We actively help the poor areas build infrastructure to improve the local people’s livelihood. In Guangxi, an amount of 
RMB250,000 has been invested in Luoshan Village, Lianshan Town, Fuchuan County for infrastructure construction such 
as  road  hardening  in  order  to  improve  local  traffic  conditions.  In  Xingcheng  City,  Liaoning  Province,  9  new  buildings 
were built and 10 households were repaired for the villagers, which improved the living conditions of poor villagers.

Social Responsibility129

2. 

3. 

Industrial poverty alleviation
We help the villages develop the characteristic industry according to local circumstances. In addition, we makes use 
of corporate marketing experience to help villagers open the product sales and achieve shaking off poverty and being 
better off. In Fuchong Village, Hubei, CSA promoted the implementation of 14 projects including photovoltaic poverty 
alleviation, characteristic planting and breeding, etc., and promoted local products through a number of channel such 
as  WeChat,  encouraged  local  e-suppliers  to  participate  in  industrial  poverty  alleviation  projects  in  order  to  increase 
local income.

Educational poverty alleviation
We focus on adolescent education in poverty-stricken areas. Poor students are supported by counterpart assistance, 
charitable donations, etc. to realize their dreams of going to school. 50 employees of CSA North Branch volunteered 
to pair 50 poor families and funded to help their children to go to school. CSA Hubei Branch organized “one to one” 
pair  assistance,  “caring  mothers  going  to  the  primary  school  in  poor  villages  (愛心媽媽走進貧困村小學)",  “urban  and 
rural children celebrating the Children’s Day hand in hand (城鄉孩子手拉手過六一)” and other activities to promote the 
development of local education.

Statistical Table of Targeted Poverty Alleviation of the Listed Company in 2016

Indicator

I.  General

Including: capital

II. 

Itemized Input
1.  Infrastructure (water, electricity, road, gas and housing)
2.  Shaking off poverty through education
Including: Amount input to subsidize poverty students

Number of subsidized poverty students (Heads)
Amount input to improve the educational resources in poverty-stricken regions

3.  Relief, aid and delivering warmth

III.  Awards (content and level)

CSA residency team awarded “Excellent in Work Efficiency in 2016” by Xinjiang Uygur  
  Autonomous Region

Unit: RMB Ten Thousand

Quantity and 
Implementation

253.8

32.8

115
288
85
21

In  addition,  CSAHC  also  invested  RMB5  million  for  targeted  poverty  alleviation,  mainly  used  for  shaking  off  poverty  through 
industrial development and health poverty alleviation.

Social ResponsibilityChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Time

Everyday

Place

Around you

China Southern Airlines – Vigorous 
establishment of a “Sunshine China 
Southern” and proactive fulfillment  
of social responsibilities

We laid stress on repaying the society. The Company took the lead in 

opening a green passage for transportation of human donated organs 

and launching a “inflight medical volunteer” project among Chinese 

airlines and regularly held “Public Open Day” activities.

132

To the shareholders of China Southern Airlines Company Limited
(Incorporated in the People’s Republic of China with limited liability)

Opinion
We have audited the consolidated financial statements of China Southern Airlines Company Limited (“the Company”) and its 
subsidiaries (“the Group”) set out on pages 140 to 231, which comprise the consolidated statement of financial position as at 
31 December 2016, the consolidated income statement, the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated 
statement of changes in equity and the consolidated cash flow statement for the year then ended and notes to the consolidated 
financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies.

In  our  opinion,  the  consolidated  financial  statements  give  a  true  and  fair  view  of  the  consolidated  financial  position  of  the 
Group  as  at  31  December  2016  and  of  its  consolidated  financial  performance  and  its  consolidated  cash  flows  for  the  year 
then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) issued by the International Accounting 
Standards Board (“IASB”) and have been properly prepared in compliance with the disclosure requirements of the Hong Kong 
Companies Ordinance.

Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (“ISAs”) issued by the International Auditing and 
Assurance Standards Board. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities 
for the audit of the consolidated financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Group in accordance 
with International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (“IESBA Code”) together 
with any ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the consolidated financial statements in the People’s Republic of 
China, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements and the IESBA Code. We 
believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Independent Auditor’s Report 133

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most significance in our audit of the consolidated 
financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the consolidated financial 
statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

Recognition of passenger revenue

Refer to note 2(x)(i), note 2(x)(ii), note 3(a)(iii), note 5 and note 39 to the consolidated financial statements.

The Key Audit Matter

How the matter was addressed in our audit

Passenger  revenue  is  recognised  at  the  fair  value  of  the 
consideration  received  when  the  transportation  service  is 
provided.  Unearned  passenger  revenue  at  the  reporting 
date  is  included  within  sales  in  advance  of  carriage  in  the 
consolidated statement of financial position.

The amount received in relation to mileage earning flights is 
allocated, based on fair value, between the flight and mileage 
earned  by  members  of  the  Group’s  frequent  flyer  award 
programmes.  The  value  attributed  to  the  awarded  mileage 
is  deferred  as  a  liability,  within  deferred  revenue,  until  the 
mileage  is  redeemed  and  the  related  benefits  are  received 
or  used  or  they  expire.  The  amount  received  from  third 
parties  for  the  issue  of  mileage  under  the  Group’s  frequent 
flyer award programmes is also deferred as a liability within 
deferred revenue.

The  Group  maintains  complex  computer  systems  to  keep 
track  of  transportation  services  to  determine  the  timing  of 
recognition  and  accuracy  of  passenger  revenue,  which 
involves the processing of a large volume of data.

Our audit procedures to assess the recognition of passenger 
revenue included the following:

• 

• 

with the assistance of our internal information technology 
specialists, assessing the Group’s relevant computer 
application  controls  relating  to  revenue  recognition, 
including  assessing  whether  the  computer  systems 
operated as they were designed and were protected 
from  data  manipulation  or  software  logic  that  could 
result  in  inaccurate  accounting  information  relating 
to passenger revenue being recorded. The selected 
computer  application  controls  assessed  included 
those  relating  to  the  completeness  of  transfers  of 
data  between  computer  systems,  ticket  validation  to 
identify data errors and the assignment of ticket prices 
to each flight;
evaluating  the  Group’s  key  internal  manual  controls 
to assess the treatment of exceptions identified upon 
reconciliation  of  the  outputs  from  computer  systems 
with the Group’s financial and operating records;

Independent Auditor’s Report China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016134

Key audit matters (continued)
Recognition of passenger revenue

Refer to note 2(x)(i), note 2(x)(ii), note 3(a)(iii), note 5 and note 39 to the consolidated financial statements.

The Key Audit Matter

How the matter was addressed in our audit

The  Group  also  maintains  computer  systems  to  track  the 
issuance  and  subsequent  redemption  and  utilisation  of 
awarded mileage. The Group estimates the amount of revenue 
attributable  to  the  mileage  earned  by  the  members  of  the 
Group’s frequent flyer award programmes based on the fair 
value of the mileage awarded and the expected redemption 
rate.  The  fair  value  of  mileage  awarded  is  estimated  by 
reference  to  external  sales.  The  expected  redemption  rate 
is  estimated  based  on  historical  experience,  anticipated 
redemption  patterns  and  the  frequent  flyer  programmes’ 
design.

We identified the recognition of passenger revenue as a key 
audit matter because it involves complex computer systems, 
which  give  rise  to  an  inherent  risk  that  passenger  revenue 
could  be  recorded  inaccurately  or  in  the  incorrect  period 
and because the estimations of the fair value and expected 
redemption rate of mileage awarded give rise to an inherent 
risk that passenger revenue could be recorded inaccurately, 
in the incorrect period or could be subject to manipulation.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the  Group’s 

performing  analytical  procedures  on  the  Group’s 
passenger revenue by developing an expectation for 
passenger  revenue  using  independent  inputs  and 
information  generated  from  the  Group’s  computer 
systems  and  comparing  such  expectations  with  the 
passenger revenue recorded by the Group;
implementation  and 
the  design  and 
assessing 
operating  effectiveness  of 
internal 
controls over the determination of the fair value of and 
redemption rate for mileage awarded;
evaluating  the  fair  value  of  mileage  awarded  by 
comparing  the  Group’s  calculations  with  observable 
external sales of mileage;
challenging  the  Group’s  assumptions  relating  to  the 
redemption  rate  for  mileage  by  comparison  with 
historical  experience  and  planned  changes  to  the 
programmes  that  may  impact  future  redemption 
activities;
inspecting  underlying  documentation 
for  manual 
journal  entries  relating  to  passenger  revenue  which 
were material or met specified risked-based criteria.

Independent Auditor’s Report 135

Key audit matters (continued)
Impairment of the aircraft fleet

Refer to note 2(l)(ii), note 3(a)(i) and note 20(c) to the consolidated financial statements.

The Key Audit Matter

How the matter was addressed in our audit

As at 31 December 2016, the carrying value of the Group’s 
aircraft and related equipment was RMB136,788 million.

Our  audit  procedures  to  assess  impairment  of  the  aircraft 
fleet included the following:

A number of factors, including but not limited to, significant 
decreases  in  the  market  value  of  aircraft  and  net  operating 
cash  outflows  associated  with  the  use  of  the  aircraft,  could 
result  in  significant  impairment  of  aircraft  and  related 
equipment.

Impairment of the aircraft fleet was assessed by management 
based on the higher of fair value less costs of disposal and 
value  in  use.  In  determining  the  value  in  use,  expected 
future  cash  flows  to  be  generated  by  the  aircraft  fleet  were 
discounted to their present value, which requires significant 
management judgement relating to forecast air traffic revenue, 
forecast operating costs and the discount rate applied.

• 

• 

• 

• 

the  design  and 

assessing 
implementation  and 
operating  effectiveness  of  the  Group’s  key  internal 
controls  over  the  assessment  of  impairment  of  the 
aircraft fleet;
challenging  management’s  assessment  of  potential 
indicators  of 
impairment  based  on  our  own 
expectations  developed  from  our  knowledge  of  the 
Group and our experience of the airlines industry;
assessing  the  design  and  implementation  of  the 
Group’s budgeting process, upon which the forecasts 
of air traffic revenue and related operating costs were 
based, and the principles and integrity of the Group’s 
discounted cash flow model;
with the assistance of our internal valuation specialists, 
evaluating the assumptions and methodology adopted 
by  management 
impairment  assessment, 
including  forecast  revenue  growth,  forecast  profit 
margins and the discount rate applied, with reference 
to  the  requirements  of  the  prevailing  accounting 
standards;

its 

in 

Independent Auditor’s Report China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016136

Key audit matters (continued)
Impairment of the aircraft fleet

Refer to note 2(l)(ii), note 3(a)(i) and note 20(c) to the consolidated financial statements.

The Key Audit Matter

How the matter was addressed in our audit

We  identified  impairment  of  the  aircraft  fleet  as  a  key  audit 
matter  because  of  its  significance  to  the  consolidated 
financial statements and because of the inherent uncertainty 
involved in forecasting and discounting future cash flows.

• 

• 

• 

the  assistance  of  our 

internal  valuation 
with 
specialists, comparing the key assumptions adopted 
by  management  in  its  impairment  assessment  with 
externally derived data as well as our own assessments 
in  relation  to  key  inputs,  which  included  projected 
economic growth, competition, cost inflation and the 
discount rate applied;
assessing  the  sensitivity  of  the  outcome  of  the 
impairment assessment to changes in key assumptions, 
including forecast revenue growth and forecast profit 
margins  and  considering  whether  there  were  any 
indicators of management bias in the selection of the 
key assumptions;
comparing  the  actual  results  of  aircraft  operations 
in  the  current  year  with  management’s  forecasts  as 
at  31  December  2015  to  evaluate  the  reliability  of 
management’s forecasting process.

Independent Auditor’s Report 137

Key audit matters (continued)
Provisions for major overhauls

Refer to note 2(z), note 3(a)(ii) and note 43 to the consolidated financial statements.

The Key Audit Matter

How the matter was addressed in our audit

The Group operated 244 aircraft held under external operating 
leases  as  at  31  December  2016.  Under  the  terms  of  the 
operating lease arrangements, the Group has responsibility 
to  fulfill  certain  conditions  upon  the  return  of  the  aircraft  at 
the end of the leases.

Provisions  for  the  cost  of  major  overhauls  to  fulfill  the  lease 
return  conditions  for  airframes  and  engines  held  under 
operating  leases  are  accrued  and  charged  to  the  income 
statement over the estimated overhaul period.

This requires management to estimate the expected overhaul 
cycles and overhaul costs, based on the historical experience 
of the actual costs incurred for the overhaul of airframes and 
engines of the same or similar types and current economic 
and airlines-related developments.

As  at  31  December  2016,  provisions  for  major  overhauls 
of  RMB2,857  million  were  recorded  in  the  consolidated 
statement of financial position.

We  identified  provisions  for  major  overhauls  as  a  key  audit 
matter  because  of  the  inherent  uncertainty  involved  in 
forecasting  the  overhaul  cycles  and  future  overhaul  costs 
for each different airframes and engine types.

Our audit procedures to assess provisions for major overhauls 
included the following:

• 

• 

• 

• 

assessing the design, implementation and operating 
effectiveness of the Group’s key internal controls over 
the  provisions  for  major  overhauls  for  aircraft  held 
under operating leases;
comparing the information used by the Group’s financial 
management team to calculate the provisions for major 
overhauls with the Group’s engineering department’s 
expected overhaul cycles, overhaul costs and actual 
maintenance  costs  based  on  information  obtained 
from  discussions  with  engineering  department 
management responsible for aircraft maintenance;
evaluating 
the  key  assumptions  adopted  by 
management in its assessment of the overhaul cycles 
and future overhaul costs by taking into consideration 
the terms of the operating lease agreements and the 
Group’s historical maintenance experience;
challenging 
the  key  assumptions  adopted  by 
management  in  calculating  the  provisions  of  major 
overhauls based on our own expectations developed 
from our knowledge of the Group and experience of 
the airlines industry.

Independent Auditor’s Report China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016138

Information other than the consolidated financial statements and auditor’s report 
thereon
The directors are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises all the information included in the annual 
report, other than the consolidated financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon.

Our opinion on the consolidated financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of 
assurance conclusion thereon.

In  connection  with  our  audit  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  our  responsibility  is  to  read  the  other  information  and, 
in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the consolidated financial statements or our 
knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.

If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are 
required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Responsibilities of the directors for the consolidated financial statements
The  directors  are  responsible  for  the  preparation  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements  that  give  a  true  and  fair  view  in 
accordance with IFRSs issued by the IASB and the disclosure requirements of the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance and for 
such  internal  control  as  the  directors  determine  is  necessary  to  enable  the  preparation  of  consolidated  financial  statements 
that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the Group’s ability to continue as 
a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting 
unless the directors either intend to liquidate the Group or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

The  directors  are  assisted  by  the  Audit  Committee  in  discharging  their  responsibilities  for  overseeing  the  Group’s  financial 
reporting process.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements
Our  objectives  are  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  the  consolidated  financial  statements  as  a  whole  are  free 
from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. This report 
is made solely to you, as a body and for no other purpose. We do not assume responsibility towards or accept liability to any 
other person for the contents of this report.

Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs will 
always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material 
if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on 
the basis of these consolidated financial statements.

As  part  of  an  audit  in  accordance  with  ISAs,  we  exercise  professional  judgement  and  maintain  professional  scepticism 
throughout the audit. We also:

• 

• 

Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or 
error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and 
appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is 
higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations 
or the override of internal control.

Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate 
in the circumstances but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Group’s internal control.

Independent Auditor’s Report 139

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements 
(continued)
• 

Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related 
disclosures made by the directors.

• 

• 

• 

Conclude  on  the  appropriateness  of  the  directors’  use  of  the  going  concern  basis  of  accounting  and,  based  on  the 
audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant 
doubt on the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are 
required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the consolidated financial statements or, 
if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained 
up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Group to cease to continue 
as a going concern.

Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the consolidated financial statements, including the disclosures, 
and whether the consolidated financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that 
achieves fair presentation.

Obtain  sufficient  appropriate  audit  evidence  regarding  the  financial  information  of  the  entities  or  business  activities 
within the Group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, 
supervision and performance of the group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion.

We communicate with the Audit Committee regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and 
significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

We  also  provide  the  Audit  Committee  with  a  statement  that  we  have  complied  with  relevant  ethical  requirements  regarding 
independence and communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our 
independence and, where applicable, related safeguards.

From the matters communicated with the Audit Committee, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the 
audit of the consolidated financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these 
matters in our auditor’s report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare 
circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of 
doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.

The engagement partner on the audit resulting in this independent auditor’s report is Denise S.N. Leung.

KPMG
Certified Public Accountants

8th Floor, Prince’s Building
10 Chater Road
Central, Hong Kong

30 March 2017

Independent Auditor’s Report China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016140

Operating revenue
Traffic revenue
Other operating revenue

Total operating revenue

Operating expenses
Flight operation expenses
Maintenance expenses
Aircraft and transportation service expenses
Promotion and selling expenses
General and administrative expenses
Depreciation and amortisation
Impairment on property, plant and equipment
Others

Total operating expenses

Other net income

Operating profit

Interest income
Interest expense
Share of associates’ results
Share of joint ventures’ results
Exchange loss, net
Gain on deemed disposal of a subsidiary

Profit before income tax
Income tax

Profit for the year

Profit attributable to:
Equity shareholders of the Company
Non-controlling interests

Profit for the year

Earnings per share
Basic and diluted

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

5
7

8
9
10
11
12
13
20

15

16
25
26
36(d)
24(a)(vi)

17

19

19

109,693
5,288

114,981

51,461
11,318
20,215
6,304
2,815
12,619
71
1,401

106,204

3,835

12,612

89
(2,465)
509
102
(3,276)
90

7,661
(1,763)

5,898

5,044
854

5,898

107,099
4,553

111,652

50,412
10,407
17,908
6,976
2,464
11,845
90
1,390

101,492

3,278

13,438

253
(2,188)
460
108
(5,953)
–

6,118
(1,300)

4,818

3,736
1,082

4,818

RMB0.51

RMB0.38

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

For the year ended 31 December 2016Consolidated Income Statement 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
141

Profit for the year

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

5,898

4,818

Other comprehensive income:
Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss

– Cash flow hedge: fair value movement of derivative financial 

instruments

– Fair value movement of available-for-sale financial assets
– Share of other comprehensive income of associates
– Deferred tax relating to above items

18
18
25
18

Other comprehensive income for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Total comprehensive income attributable to:
Equity shareholders of the Company
Non-controlling interests

Total comprehensive income for the year

8
362
(2)
(92)

276

6,174

5,196
978

6,174

13
–
(7)
(3)

3

4,821

3,742
1,079

4,821

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

For the year ended 31 December 2016Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive IncomeChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
142

Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment, net
Construction in progress
Lease prepayments
Goodwill
Interest in associates
Interest in joint ventures
Other investments in equity securities
Aircraft lease deposits
Available-for-sale financial assets
Derivative financial instruments
Deferred tax assets
Other receivables
Other assets

Current assets
Inventories
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted bank deposits
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Amounts due from related companies

Current liabilities
Borrowings
Current portion of obligations under finance leases
Trade payables
Sales in advance of carriage
Deferred revenue
Current income tax
Amounts due to related companies
Accrued expenses
Other liabilities

31 December
2016
RMB million

31 December
2015
RMB million

Note

20
21
22
23
25
26
27

28
29
30
34
31

32
33
34
35

40

36
37
38

39

40
41
42

146,746
28,910
2,687
182
2,590
1,522
103
725
499
21
1,685
–
1,008

186,678

1,588
2,989
3,387
4,152
135
1,415
98

142,870
19,433
2,637
–
1,995
1,440
136
669
104
13
1,387
304
888

171,876

1,606
2,580
3,720
4,560
123
1,191
333

13,764

14,113

26,746
8,695
1,903
8,420
1,299
647
103
15,147
4,972

67,932

30,002
6,416
2,500
7,131
1,029
66
152
13,081
5,158

65,535

Net current liabilities

Total assets less current liabilities

(54,168)

132,510

(51,422)

120,454

At 31 December 2016Consolidated Statement of Financial Position 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
143

31 December
2016
RMB million

31 December
2015
RMB million

Note

Non-current liabilities
Borrowings
Obligations under finance leases
Deferred revenue
Provision for major overhauls
Provision for early retirement benefits
Deferred benefits and gains
Deferred tax liabilities

Net assets

Capital and reserves
Share capital
Reserves

36
37
39
43
44
45
30

46
47

Total equity attributable to equity shareholders of the Company
Non-controlling interests

Total equity

Approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Directors on 30 March 2017.

Wang Chang Shun
Director

Tan Wan Geng
Director

18,758
53,527
1,622
2,089
6
691
841

77,534

54,976

9,818
33,638

43,456
11,520

54,976

15,884
49,408
1,806
1,895
13
886
938

70,830

49,624

9,818
29,227

39,045
10,579

49,624

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

At 31 December 2016Consolidated Statement of Financial PositionChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total
equity
RMB
million

44,493

4,818
3
4,821
–
(393)

144

Attributable to equity shareholders of the Company

Share
capital
RMB
million

Share
premium
RMB
million

Fair value
reserve
RMB
million

Other
reserves
RMB
million

Retained
earnings
RMB
million

Balance at 1 January 2015

9,818

14,131

44

1,486

10,269

Non-
controlling
interests
RMB
million

8,745

Total
RMB
million

35,748

Changes in equity for 2015:
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income
Appropriations to reserves
Dividends relating to 2014
Capital injection of non- 

controlling interests in a 
subsidiary

Acquisition of non-controlling 
interests in a subsidiary

Distributions to non-controlling 

interests

Balance at 31 December 2015 

–
–
–
–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–

–

–
11
11
–
–

–

–

–

–
(5)
(5)
246
–

–

(52)

–

3,736
–
3,736
(246)
(393)

3,736
6
3,742
–
(393)

1,082
(3)
1,079
–
–

–

–

–

–

1,360

1,360

(52)

(574)

(626)

–

(31)

(31)

and 1 January 2016

9,818

14,131

55

1,675

13,366

39,045

10,579

49,624

Changes in equity for 2016:
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income
Appropriations to reserves
Dividends relating to 2015  

(Note 47(b))

Capital injection of non-

controlling interests in a 
subsidiary

Decrease in non-controlling 

interests as a result of loss of 
control of a subsidiary (Note 
24(a)(vi))

Distributions to non-controlling 

interests

–
–
–
–

–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–

–

–
154
154
–

–

–

–

–

–
(2)
(2)
405

5,044
–
5,044
(405)

5,044
152
5,196
–

854
124
978
–

5,898
276
6,174
–

–

–

–

–

(785)

(785)

–

(785)

–

–

–

–

–

–

260

260

(83)

(83)

(214)

(214)

Balance at 31 December 2016

9,818

14,131

209

2,078

17,220

43,456

11,520

54,976

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

For the year ended 31 December 2016Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
145

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

27,681
118
(2,629)
(1,406)

23,764

(189)
(67)

3,111
2
143
18

14
(263)
456

(18,967)
(34)
(55)
81
–

(15,750)

(785)
17,539
33,886
10,000
4,689
(46,695)
(6,994)
(19,900)
260
(221)
(238)

(8,459)

(445)
4,560
37

4,152

27,857
313
(2,274)
(2,162)

23,734

(69)
–

3,196
–
67
6

13
(278)
1,971

(12,139)
(40)
(123)
141
324

(6,931)

(393)
34,170
8,000
3,000
–
(62,212)
(8,209)
(3,000)
1,360
(23)
(388)

(27,695)

(10,892)
15,414
38

4,560

Operating activities
Cash generated from operating activities
Interest received
Interest paid
Income tax paid

Net cash generated from operating activities

Note

35(b)

Investing activities
Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired
Deemed disposal of a subsidiary
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment and lease 

24(a)(v)
24(a)(vi)

prepayments

Proceeds from sale of a joint venture
Dividends received from associates
Dividends received from joint ventures
Dividends received from other investments in equity securities and 

available-for-sale financial assets

Acquisition of term deposits
Proceeds from maturity of term deposits
Additions of property, plant and equipment, lease prepayments and 

other assets

Capital injection into associates
Payment for aircraft lease deposits
Refund of aircraft lease deposits
Withdrawal of pledged bank deposits

Net cash used in investing activities

Financing activities
Dividends paid to equity shareholders of the Company
Proceeds from bank borrowings
Proceeds from ultra-short-term financing bills
Proceeds from corporate bond
Proceeds from medium-term notes
Repayment of bank borrowings
Repayment of principal under finance lease obligations
Repayment of ultra-short-term financing bills
Capital injection from the non-controlling interests of subsidiaries
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests
Payment for purchase of non-controlling interests

Net cash used in financing activities

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January
Exchange gain on cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

For the year ended 31 December 2016Consolidated Cash Flow StatementChina Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
146

1  Corporate information

China  Southern  Airlines  Company  Limited  (the  “Company”),  a  joint  stock  limited  company,  was  incorporated  in  the 
People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) on 25 March 1995. The address of the Company’s registered office is Unit 301, 
3/F, Office Tower, Guanhao Science Park Phase I, 12 Yuyan Street, Huangpu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 
the  PRC.  The  Company  and  its  subsidiaries  (the  “Group”)  are  principally  engaged  in  the  operation  of  civil  aviation, 
including the provision of passenger, cargo, mail delivery and other extended transportation services.

The Company’s majority interest is owned by China Southern Air Holding Company (“CSAHC”), a state-owned enterprise 
incorporated in the PRC.

The Company’s shares are traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and 
the New York Stock Exchange.

2 

Significant accounting policies
The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements are set out below. 
These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.

(a)  Basis of preparation

The  consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  in  accordance  with  all  applicable  International  Financial 
Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”), which collective term includes all applicable individual IFRSs, International Accounting 
Standards  (“IASs”)  and  Interpretations  issued  by  the  International  Accounting  Standards  Board  (the  “IASB”).  The 
consolidated financial statements also comply with the applicable disclosure requirements of the Hong Kong Companies 
Ordinance  and  the  applicable  disclosure  provisions  of  the  Rules  Governing  the  Listing  of  Securities  on  The  Stock 
Exchange  of  Hong  Kong  Limited.  The  measurement  basis  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  financial  statements  is  the 
historical  cost  basis,  except  that  available-for-sale  equity  securities  and  derivative  financial  instruments  are  stated  at 
their fair value as explained in the accounting policies set out in Note 2(f) and Note 2(g).

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRSs requires management to make judgements, estimates 
and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. 
The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed 
to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgements about carrying 
values  of  assets  and  liabilities  that  are  not  readily  apparent  from  other  sources.  Actual  results  may  differ  from  these 
estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are 
recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the 
revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

Judgements made by management in the application of IFRSs that have significant effect on the financial statements 
and major sources of estimation uncertainty are discussed in Note 3.

The consolidated financial statements comprise the Company and its subsidiaries and the Group’s interest in associates 
and joint ventures.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 147

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(b)  Changes in accounting policies

The IASB has issued a number of amendments to IFRSs that are first effective for the current accounting period of the 
Group. None of these developments have had a material effect on how the Group’s results and financial position for the 
current or prior periods have been prepared or presented.

The Group has not applied any new standard or interpretation that is not yet effective for the current accounting period. 
Note 58 provides information on the possible impact of amendments, new standards and interpretations issued but not 
yet effective for the year ended 31 December 2016.

(c)  Subsidiaries and non-controlling interests

Subsidiaries are all entities over which the Group has control. The Group controls an entity when the Group is exposed 
to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through 
its power over the entity. When assessing whether the Group has power, only substantive rights (held by the Group and 
other  parties)  are  considered.  Subsidiaries  are  fully  consolidated  from  the  date  on  which  control  is  transferred  to  the 
Group. They are deconsolidated from the date that control ceases.

An  investment  in  a  subsidiary  is  consolidated  into  the  consolidated  financial  statements  from  the  date  that  control 
commences until the date that control ceases. Intra-group transactions, balances and cash flows and any unrealised gains 
on transactions between group companies are eliminated. Unrealised losses are also eliminated unless the transaction 
provides evidence of an impairment of the transferred asset. When necessary, amounts reported by subsidiaries have 
been adjusted to conform with the Group’s accounting policies.

Non-controlling interests represent the equity in a subsidiary not attributable directly or indirectly to the Company, and 
in  respect  of  which  the  Group  has  not  agreed  any  additional  terms  with  the  holders  of  those  interests  which  would 
result in the Group as a whole having a contractual obligation in respect of those interests that meets the definition of a 
financial liability. With regards to each business combination, the Group recognised non-controlling interests based on 
the proportion of the net identifiable assets of the subsidiary owned by the non-controlling interests.

Non-controlling interests are presented in the consolidated statement of financial position within equity, separately from 
equity attributable to the equity shareholders of the Company. Non-controlling interests in the results of the Group are 
presented on the face of the consolidated income statement and the consolidated statement of comprehensive income 
as an allocation of the total profit or loss and total comprehensive income for the year between non-controlling interests 
and  the  equity  shareholders  of  the  Company.  Loans  from  holders  of  non-controlling  interests  and  other  contractual 
obligations towards these holders are presented as financial liabilities in the consolidated statement of financial position 
in accordance with Notes 2(o) or Note 2(p) depending on the nature of the liability.

Changes  in  the  Group’s  interests  in  a  subsidiary  that  do  not  result  in  a  loss  of  control  are  accounted  for  as  equity 
transactions,  whereby  adjustments  are  made  to  the  amounts  of  controlling  and  non-controlling  interests  within 
consolidated equity to reflect the change in relative interests, but no adjustments are made to goodwill and no gain or 
loss is recognised.

When the Group loses control of a subsidiary, it is accounted for as a disposal of the entire interest in that subsidiary, 
with  a  resulting  gain  or  loss  being  recognised  in  consolidated  income  statement.  Any  interest  retained  in  that  former 
subsidiary at the date when control is lost is recognised at fair value and this amount is regarded as the fair value on 
initial recognition of a financial asset (Note 2(f)) or, when appropriate, the cost on initial recognition of an investment in 
an associate or joint venture (Note 2(d)).

In the Company’s statement of financial position, an investment in a subsidiary is stated at cost less impairment losses 
(Note 2(l)).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016148

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(c)  Subsidiaries and non-controlling interests (Continued)

The  Group  applies  the  acquisition  method  to  account  for  business  combinations.  The  consideration  transferred  in 
the  acquisition  is  generally  measured  at  fair  value,  as  are  the  identifiable  net  assets  acquired.  Transaction  costs  are 
expensed as incurred.

The  consideration  transferred  does  not  include  amounts  related  to  the  settlement  of  pre-existing  relationships.  Such 
amounts are generally recognised in profit or loss.

Any  contingent  consideration  is  measured  at  fair  value  at  the  date  of  acquisition.  If  an  obligation  to  pay  contingent 
consideration  that  meets  the  definition  of  a  financial  instrument  is  classified  as  equity,  then  it  is  not  remeasured  and 
settlement is accounted for within equity. Otherwise, other contingent consideration is remeasured at fair value at each 
reporting date and subsequent changes in the fair value of the contingent consideration are recognised in profit or loss.

(d)  Associates and joint arrangements

An associate is an entity in which the Group or the Company has significant influence, but not control or joint control, 
over its management, including participation in the financial and operating policy decisions.

The Group has applied IFRS 11, Joint Arrangements (“IFRS 11”) to all joint arrangements. Under IFRS 11, investments 
in joint arrangements are classified as either joint operations or joint ventures depending on the contractual rights and 
obligations of each investor. The Group has assessed the nature of its joint arrangements and determined them to be 
joint ventures.

An investment in an associate or a joint venture is accounted for in the consolidated financial statements under the equity 
method and is initially recorded at cost, adjusted for any excess of the Group’s share of the acquisition-date fair values 
of the investee’s identifiable net assets over the cost of the investment (if any). Thereafter, the investment is adjusted 
for the post acquisition change in the Group’s share of the investee’s net assets and any impairment loss relating to the 
investment (Notes 2(e) and 2(l)). The Group’s share of the post-acquisition, post-tax results of the investees, adjusted for 
any acquisition-date excess over cost and any impairment losses for the year are recognised in the consolidated income 
statement,  whereas  the  Group’s  share  of  the  post-acquisition  post-tax  items  of  the  investees’  other  comprehensive 
income is recognised in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

When  the  Group’s  share  of  losses  exceeds  its  interest  in  the  associate  or  the  joint  venture,  the  Group’s  interest  is 
reduced to nil and recognition of further losses is discontinued except to the extent that the Group has incurred legal or 
constructive obligations or made payments on behalf of the investee. For this purpose, the Group’s interest is the carrying 
amount of the investment under the equity method together with the Group’s long-term interests that in substance form 
part of the Group’s net investment in the associate or the joint venture.

Unrealised profits and losses resulting from transactions between the Group and its associates and joint ventures are 
eliminated  to  the  extent  of  the  Group’s  interest  in  the  investee,  except  where  unrealised  losses  provide  evidence  of 
an  impairment  of  the  asset  transferred,  in  which  case  they  are  recognised  immediately  in  the  consolidated  income 
statement.

In  the  Company’s  statement  of  financial  position,  investments  in  associates  and  joint  ventures  are  stated  at  cost  less 
impairment losses (Note 2(l)).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 149

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(e)  Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of

(i) 

the aggregate of the fair value of the consideration transferred, the amount of any non-controlling interest in the 
acquiree and the fair value of the Group’s previously held equity interest in the acquiree; over

(ii) 

the net fair value of the acquiree’s identifiable assets and liabilities measured as at the acquisition date.

When (ii) is greater than (i), then this excess is recognised immediately in the consolidated income statement as a gain 
on a bargain purchase.

Goodwill is stated at cost less accumulated impairment losses. Goodwill arising on a business combination is allocated 
to each cash-generating unit, or groups of cash generating units, that is expected to benefit from the synergies of the 
combination and is tested annually for impairment (Note 2(l)).

(f)  Other investments in equity securities

The  Group’s  and  the  Company’s  policies  for  investments  in  equity  securities,  other  than  investments  in  subsidiaries, 
associates and joint ventures, are as follows:

Investments in equity securities are initially stated at fair value, which is their transaction price unless fair value can be 
more  reliably  estimated  using  valuation  techniques  whose  variables  include  only  data  from  observable  markets.  Cost 
includes attributable transaction costs, except where indicated otherwise below. These investments are subsequently 
accounted for as follows, depending on their classification:

Available-for-sale equity securities are those non-derivative financial assets that are designated as available for sale. At 
the end of each reporting period the fair value is remeasured, with any resultant gain or loss being recognised in other 
comprehensive  income  and  accumulated  separately  in  equity  in  the  fair  value  reserve.  Dividend  income  from  these 
investments is recognised in the consolidated income statement in accordance with the policy set out in Note 2(x)(iv). 
When these investments are derecognised or impaired (Note 2(l)), the cumulative gain or loss is reclassified from equity 
to profit or loss.

The Group’s other investments in equity securities represent investments in equity securities that do not have a quoted 
price  in  an  active  market  for  an  identical  instrument  and  whose  fair  value  cannot  otherwise  be  reliably  measured. 
Accordingly,  they  are  recognised  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  financial  position  at  cost  less  impairment  losses 
(Note 2(l)).

Investments  are  recognised/derecognised  on  the  date  the  Group  commits  to  purchase/sell  the  investments  or  the 
Group’s rights to the cash flows from the investments expired.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016150

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(g)  Derivative financial instruments

Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently 
remeasured at their fair value. The method of recognising the resulting gain or loss depends on whether the derivative 
is designated as a hedging instrument, and if so, the nature of the item being hedged.

The  Group  documents  at  the  inception  of  the  transaction  the  relationship  between  hedging  instruments  and  hedged 
items, as well as its risk management objectives and strategy for undertaking various hedging transactions. The Group 
also documents its assessment, both at hedge inception and on an ongoing basis, of whether the derivatives that are 
used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items.

Derivative financial instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting are accounted for as trading instruments and any 
unrealised gains or losses, being changes in fair value of the derivatives, are recognised in the profit or loss immediately.

Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges and that are highly effective, 
are  recorded  in  the  profit  or  loss,  along  with  any  changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the  hedged  assets  or  liabilities  that  are 
attributable to the hedged risk.

Derivative financial instruments that qualify for hedge accounting and which are designated as a specific hedge of the 
variability in cash flows of a highly probable forecast transaction, are accounted for as follows:

(i) 

The effective portion of any gains or losses on remeasurement of the derivative financial instrument to fair value 
are recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated separately in equity in the fair value reserve. 
The cumulative gain or loss on the derivative financial instrument recognised in other comprehensive income is 
reclassified from equity to profit or loss in the same period during which the hedged forecast cash flows affects 
profit or loss; and

(ii) 

The ineffective portion of any gains or losses on remeasurement of the derivative financial instrument to fair value 
is recognised in the profit or loss immediately.

When a hedging instrument expires or is sold, or when a hedge no longer meets the criteria for hedge accounting, any 
cumulative gains or losses existing in equity at that time remains in equity and is recognised in the profit or loss when 
the committed or forecast transaction ultimately occurs. When a committed or forecast transaction is no longer expected 
to occur, the cumulative gains or losses that was recorded in equity is immediately transferred to the profit or loss.

(h) 

Investment properties

Investment properties are land and/or buildings which are owned to earn rental income and/or for capital appreciation.

Investment properties are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses (Note 2(l)). Depreciation 
is calculated to write off the cost of items of investment properties, less their estimated residual value, if any, using the 
straight  line  method  over  their  estimated  useful  lives.  Rental  income  from  investment  properties  is  accounted  for  as 
described in Note 2(x)(iii).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 151

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(i)  Other property, plant and equipment

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses (Note 2(l)).

The cost of self-constructed items of property, plant and equipment includes the cost of materials, direct labor, the initial 
estimate, where relevant, of the costs of dismantling and removing the items and restoring the site on which they are 
located, and an appropriate proportion of production overheads and borrowing costs (Note 2(aa)).

Subsequent costs are included in the asset’s carrying amount or recognised as a separate asset, as appropriate, only 
when it is probable that future economic benefits associated with the item will flow to the Group and the cost of the item 
can be measured reliably. The carrying amount of the replaced part is derecognised. All other repairs and maintenance 
are charged to the income statement during the financial period in which they are incurred.

When each major aircraft overhaul is performed, its cost is recognised in the carrying amount of the component of aircraft 
and is depreciated over the appropriate maintenance cycles. Components related to overhaul cost, are depreciated on 
a straight-line basis over 3 to 12 years. Upon completion of an overhaul, any remaining carrying amount of the cost of 
the previous overhaul is derecognised and charged to the income statement.

Gains or losses arising from the retirement or disposal of an item of property, plant and equipment are determined as 
the difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the item and are recognised in income 
statement on the date of retirement or disposal.

Except for components related to overhaul costs, the depreciation of other property, plant and equipment is calculated 
to write off the cost of items, less their estimated residual value, if any, using the straight line method over their estimated 
useful lives as follows:

Buildings 
Owned and finance leased aircraft 
Other flight equipment

– Jet engines 
– Others, including rotables  

Machinery and equipment 
Vehicles 

5 to 35 years
15 to 20 years

15 to 20 years
3 to 15 years
4 to 10 years
6 to 8 years

Where parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful lives, the cost of the item is allocated on 
a reasonable basis between the parts and each part is depreciated separately. Both the useful life of an asset and its 
residual value, if any, are reviewed annually.

(j)  Construction in progress

Construction  in  progress  represents  advance  payments  for  the  acquisition  of  aircraft  and  flight  equipment,  office 
buildings, various infrastructure projects under construction and equipment pending for installation, and is stated at cost 
less impairment losses (Note 2(l)). Capitalisation of these costs ceases and the construction in progress is transferred 
to property, plant and equipment when the asset is substantially ready for its intended use, notwithstanding any delay 
in the issue of the relevant commissioning certificates by the relevant PRC authorities.

No depreciation is provided in respect of construction in progress.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016152

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(k)  Leased assets

An arrangement, comprising a transaction or a series of transactions, is or contains a lease if the Group determines that 
the arrangement conveys a right to use a specific asset or assets for an agreed period of time in return for a payment 
or  a  series  of  payments.  Such  a  determination  is  made  based  on  an  evaluation  of  the  substance  of  the  arrangement 
and is regardless of whether the arrangement takes the legal form of a lease.

(i)  Classification of assets leased to the Group

Assets that are held by the Group under leases which transfer to the Group substantially all the risks and rewards 
of ownership are classified as being held under finance leases. Leases which do not transfer substantially all the 
risks and rewards of ownership to the Group are classified as operating leases, except for land held for own use 
under an operating lease, the fair value of which cannot be measured separately from the fair value of a building 
situated thereon at the inception of the lease, is accounted for as being held under a finance lease, unless the 
building is also clearly held under an operating lease. For these purposes, the inception of the lease is the time 
that the lease was first entered into by the Group, or taken over from the previous lessee.

(ii)  Assets acquired under finance leases

Where  the  Group  acquires  the  use  of  assets  under  finance  leases,  the  amounts  representing  the  fair  value  of 
the  leased  asset,  or,  if  lower,  the  present  value  of  the  minimum  lease  payments,  of  such  assets  are  included 
in  property,  plant  and  equipment  and  the  corresponding  liabilities,  net  of  finance  charges,  are  recorded  as 
obligations  under  finance  leases.  Depreciation  is  provided  at  rates  which  write  off  the  cost  or  valuation  of  the 
assets over the term of the relevant lease or, where it is likely the Group will obtain ownership of the asset, the 
life of the asset, as set out in Note 2(i). Impairment losses are accounted for in accordance with the accounting 
policy as set out in Note 2(l). Finance charges implicit in the lease payments are charged to income statement 
over the period of the leases so as to produce an approximately constant periodic rate of charge on the remaining 
balance  of  the  obligations  for  each  accounting  period.  Contingent  rentals  are  charged  to  income  statement  in 
the accounting period in which they are incurred.

(iii)  Operating lease charges

Where  the  Group  has  the  use  of  assets  held  under  operating  leases,  payments  made  under  the  leases  are 
charged to income statement in equal instalments over the accounting periods covered by the lease term, except 
where an alternative basis is more representative of the pattern of benefits to be derived from the leased asset. 
Lease  incentives  received  are  recognised  in  income  statement  as  an  integral  part  of  the  aggregate  net  lease 
payments  made.  Contingent  rentals  are  charged  to  income  statement  in  the  accounting  period  in  which  they 
are incurred.

The cost of acquiring land held under an operating lease is amortised on a straight-line basis over the respective 
periods of lease terms which range from 30 to 70 years.

(iv)  Sale and leaseback transactions

Gains  or  losses  on  aircraft  sale  and  leaseback  transactions  which  result  in  finance  leases  are  deferred  and 
amortised over the terms of the related leases.

Gains  or  losses  on  aircraft  sale  and  leaseback  transactions  which  result  in  operating  leases  are  recognised 
immediately if the transactions are established at fair value. If the sale price is below fair value then the gain or 
loss is recognised immediately. However, if a loss is compensated for by future rentals at a below-market price, 
then the loss is deferred and amortised over the period that the aircraft is expected to be used. If the sale price 
is above fair value, then any gain is deferred and amortised over the useful life of the assets.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 153

2 
(l) 

Significant accounting policies (Continued)
Impairment of assets
(i) 

Impairment of investments in equity securities and receivables
Investments  in  equity  securities  and  current  and  non-current  receivables  that  are  stated  at  cost  or  amortised 
cost  or  are  classified  as  available-for-sale  equity  securities  are  reviewed  at  the  end  of  each  reporting  period 
to  determine  whether  there  is  objective  evidence  of  impairment.  Objective  evidence  of  impairment  includes 
observable data that comes to the attention of the Group about one or more of the following loss events:

– 

– 

– 

– 

significant financial difficulty of the debtor;

a breach of contract, such as a default or delinquency in interest or principal payments;

it becoming probable that the debtor will enter bankruptcy or other financial reorganisation;

significant  changes  in  the  technological,  market,  economic  or  legal  environment  that  have  an  adverse 
effect on the debtor; and

– 

a significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of an investment in an equity instrument below its cost.

If any such evidence exists, any impairment loss is determined and recognised as follows:

– 

– 

– 

For  investments  in  subsidiaries,  associates  and  joint  ventures  (including  those  recognised  using  the 
equity method (Note 2(d)), the impairment loss is measured by comparing the recoverable amount of the 
investment with its carrying amount in accordance with Note 2(l(ii)). The impairment loss is reversed if there 
has been a favourable change in the estimates used to determine the recoverable amount in accordance 
with Note 2(l(ii)).

For unquoted equity securities carried at cost, the impairment loss is measured as the difference between 
the carrying amount of the financial asset and the estimated future cash flows, discounted at the current 
market rate of return for a similar financial asset where the effect of discounting is material. Impairment 
losses for equity securities carried at cost are not reversed.

For trade and other current receivables and other financial assets carried at amortised cost, the impairment 
loss is measured as the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of estimated 
future  cash  flows,  discounted  at  the  financial  asset’s  original  effective  interest  rate  (i.e.  the  effective 
interest rate computed at initial recognition of these assets), where the effect of discounting is material. 
This assessment is made collectively where these financial assets share similar risk characteristics, such 
as  similar  past  due  status,  and  have  not  been  individually  assessed  as  impaired.  Future  cash  flows  for 
financial  assets  which  are  assessed  for  impairment  collectively  are  based  on  historical  loss  experience 
for assets with credit risk characteristics similar to the collective group.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016154

2 
(l) 

Significant accounting policies (Continued)
Impairment of assets (Continued)
(i) 

Impairment of investments in equity securities and receivables (Continued)

If in a subsequent period the amount of an impairment loss decreases and the decrease can be linked 
objectively to an event occurring after the impairment loss was recognised, the impairment loss is reversed 
through  profit  or  loss.  A  reversal  of  an  impairment  loss  shall  not  result  in  the  asset’s  carrying  amount 
exceeding that which would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised in prior years.

– 

For available-for-sale securities, the cumulative loss that has been recognised in the fair value reserve is 
reclassified to profit or loss. The amount of the cumulative loss that is recognised in income statement is 
the difference between the acquisition cost (net of any principal repayment and amortisation) and current 
fair value, less any impairment loss on that asset previously recognised in income statement.

Impairment  losses  recognised  in  income  statement  in  respect  of  available-for-sale  equity  securities  are 
not reversed through profit or loss. Any subsequent increase in the fair value of such assets is recognised 
directly in other comprehensive income.

Impairment losses are written off against the corresponding asset directly, except for impairment losses recognised 
in respect of trade and other receivables, whose recovery is considered doubtful but not remote. In this case, 
the impairment losses for doubtful debts are recorded using an allowance account. When the Group is satisfied 
that recovery is remote, the amount considered irrecoverable is written off against trade and other receivables 
directly and any amounts held in the allowance account relating to that debt are reversed. Subsequent recoveries 
of  amounts  previously  charged  to  the  allowance  account  are  reversed  against  the  allowance  account.  Other 
changes  in  the  allowance  account  and  subsequent  recoveries  of  amounts  previously  written  off  directly  are 
recognised in income statement.

(ii) 

Impairment of other assets
Internal and external sources of information are reviewed at the end of each reporting period to identify indications 
that  the  following  assets  may  be  impaired  or,  except  in  the  case  of  goodwill,  an  impairment  loss  previously 
recognised no longer exists or may have decreased:

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

Investment properties;
Other property, plant and equipment;
Construction in progress;
Lease prepayments;
Goodwill;
Aircraft lease deposits; and
Other assets

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 155

2 
(l) 

Significant accounting policies (Continued)
Impairment of assets (Continued)
(ii) 

Impairment of other assets (Continued)
If any such indication exists, the asset’s recoverable amount is estimated. The recoverable amount of goodwill 
is estimated annually whether or not there is any indication of impairment.

– 

– 

– 

Calculation of recoverable amount
The recoverable amount of an asset is the higher of its fair value less costs of disposal and its value in 
use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using 
a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks 
specific to the asset. Where an asset does not generate cash inflows largely independent of those from 
other assets, the recoverable amount is determined for the smallest group of assets that generates cash 
inflows independently (i.e. a cash-generating unit).

Recognition of impairment losses
An  impairment  loss  is  recognised  in  income  statement  if  the  carrying  amount  of  an  asset,  or  the  cash-
generating  unit  to  which  it  belongs,  exceeds  its  recoverable  amount.  Impairment  losses  recognised  in 
respect of cash-generating units are allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill allocated 
to the cash-generating unit (or group of units) and then, to reduce the carrying amount of the other assets 
in the unit (or group of units) on a pro rata basis, except that the carrying value of an asset will not be 
reduced below its individual fair value less costs of disposal, or value in use, if determinable.

Reversals of impairment losses
In  respect  of  assets  other  than  goodwill,  an  impairment  loss  is  reversed  if  there  has  been  a  favourable 
change  in  the  estimates  used  to  determine  the  recoverable  amount.  An  impairment  loss  in  respect  of 
goodwill is not reversed.

A reversal of an impairment loss is limited to the asset’s carrying amount that would have been determined 
had  no  impairment  loss  been  recognised  in  prior  years.  Reversals  of  impairment  losses  are  credited  to 
income statement in the year in which the reversals are recognised.

(iii) 

Interim financial reporting and impairment
Under the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, the Group is 
required to prepare an interim financial report in compliance with IAS 34, Interim financial reporting, in respect of 
the first six months of the financial year. At the end of the interim period, the Group applies the same impairment 
testing, recognition, and reversal criteria as it would at the end of the financial year (Notes 2(l)(i) and (ii)).

Impairment losses recognised in an interim period in respect of goodwill, available-for-sale equity securities and 
unquoted equity securities carried at cost are not reversed in a subsequent period. This is the case even if no 
loss, or a smaller loss, would have been recognised had the impairment been assessed only at the end of the 
financial  year  to  which  the  interim  period  relates.  Consequently,  if  the  fair  value  of  an  available-for-sale  equity 
security  increases  in  the  remainder  of  the  annual  period,  or  in  any  other  period  subsequently,  the  increase  is 
recognised in other comprehensive income and not profit or loss.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016156

2 
(m) 

Significant accounting policies (Continued)
Inventories

Inventories,  which  consist  primarily  of  consumable  spare  parts  and  supplies,  are  stated  at  cost  less  any  applicable 
provision for obsolescence, and are charged to income statement when used in operations. Cost represents the average 
unit cost.

Inventories  held  for  sale  or  disposal  are  carried  at  the  lower  of  cost  and  net  realisable  value.  Net  realisable  value  is 
the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business less the estimated costs of completion and the estimated 
costs necessary to make the sale.

When inventories are sold, the carrying amount of those inventories is recognised as an expense in the period in which 
the related revenue is recognised. The amount of any write-down of inventories to net realisable value and all losses of 
inventories are recognised as an expense in the period the write-down or loss occurs. The amount of any reversal of 
any write-down of inventories is recognised as a reduction in the amount of inventories recognised as an expense in 
the period in which the reversal occurs.

(n)  Trade and other receivables

Trade and other receivables are initially recognised at fair value and thereafter stated at amortised cost less allowance 
for impairment of doubtful debts (Note 2(l)), except where the effect of discounting would be immaterial. In such cases, 
the receivables are stated at cost less allowance for impairment of bad and doubtful debts.

(o) 

Interest-bearing borrowings

Interest-bearing borrowings are recognised initially at fair value less attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial 
recognition,  interest-bearing  borrowings  are  stated  at  amortised  cost  with  any  difference  between  the  amount  initially 
recognised  and  redemption  value  being  recognised  in  income  statement  over  the  period  of  the  borrowings,  together 
with any interest and fees payable, using the effective interest method.

(p)  Trade and other payables

Trade  and  other  payables  are  initially  recognised  at  fair  value.  Except  for  financial  guarantee  liabilities  measured  in 
accordance with (Note 2(r)(i)), trade and other payables are subsequently stated at amortised cost unless the effect of 
discounting would be immaterial, in which case they are stated at cost.

(q)  Cash and cash equivalents

Cash  and  cash  equivalents  comprise  cash  at  bank  and  on  hand,  demand  deposits  with  banks  and  other  financial 
institutions,  and  short-term,  highly  liquid  investments  that  are  readily  convertible  into  known  amounts  of  cash  and 
which are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value, having been generally within three months of maturity at 
acquisition. Bank overdrafts that are repayable on demand and form an integral part of the Group’s cash management 
are also included as a component of cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the consolidated cash flow statement.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 157

2 
(r) 

Significant accounting policies (Continued)
Financial guarantees issued, provisions and contingent liabilities
(i) 

Financial guarantees issued
Financial  guarantees  are  contracts  that  require  the  issuer  (i.e.  the  guarantor)  to  make  specified  payments  to 
reimburse the beneficiary of the guarantee (the “holder”) for a loss the holder incurs because a specified debtor 
fails to make payment when due in accordance with the terms of a debt instrument.

Where the Group issues a financial guarantee, the fair value of the guarantee (being the transaction price, unless 
the fair value can otherwise be reliably estimated) is initially recognised.

The amount of the guarantee initially recognised is amortised in income statement over the term of the guarantee 
as income from financial guarantees issued. In addition, provisions are recognised in accordance with Note 2(r)(ii) 
if and when (i) it becomes probable that the holder of the guarantee will call upon the Group under the guarantee, 
and (ii) the amount of that claim on the Group is expected to exceed the amount currently carried in trade and 
other payables in respect of that guarantee i.e. the amount initially recognised, less accumulated amortisation.

(ii)  Provisions and contingent liabilities

Provisions are recognised for other liabilities of uncertain timing or amount when the Group or the Company has 
a legal or constructive obligation arising as a result of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of economic 
benefits will be required to settle the obligation and a reliable estimate can be made. Where the time value of 
money is material, provisions are stated at the present value of the expenditures expected to settle the obligation.

Where it is not probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be required, or the amount cannot be estimated 
reliably, the obligation is disclosed as a contingent liability, unless the probability of outflow of economic benefits 
is remote. Possible obligations, whose existence will only be confirmed by the occurrence or non-occurrence of 
one or more future events are also disclosed as contingent liabilities unless the probability of outflow of economic 
benefits is remote.

(s)  Dividend distribution

Dividend  distribution  to  the  Company’s  shareholders  is  recognised  as  a  liability  in  the  Group’s  consolidated  financial 
statements in the period in which the dividends are approved by the Company’s shareholders.

(t) 

Share capital

Ordinary  shares  are  classified  as  equity.  Incremental  costs  directly  attributable  to  the  issue  of  new  shares  or  options 
are shown in equity as a deduction, net of tax, from the proceeds.

(u)  Defeasance of long-term liabilities

Where long-term liabilities have been defeased by the placement of security deposits, those liabilities and deposits (and 
income and charge arising therefrom) are netted off in order to reflect the overall commercial effect of the arrangements. 
Such  netting  off  has  been  effected  where  a  right  is  held  by  the  Group  to  insist  on  net  settlement  of  the  liability  and 
deposit including in all situations of default and where that right is assured beyond doubt; and when the Group intends 
to settle the liability and deposit on a net basis.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016158

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(v)  Deferred benefits and gains

In connection with the acquisitions or leases of certain aircraft and engines, the Group receives various credits. Such 
credits are deferred until the aircraft and engines are delivered, at which time they are either applied as a reduction of 
the cost of acquiring the aircraft and engines, resulting in a reduction of future depreciation, or amortised as a reduction 
of rental expense for aircraft and engines under leases.

(w) 

Income tax

Current  tax  is  the  expected  tax  payable  on  the  taxable  income  for  the  year,  using  tax  rates  enacted  or  substantively 
enacted at the end of the reporting year, and any adjustment to tax payable in respect of previous years.

Deferred  tax  assets  and  liabilities  arise  from  deductible  and  taxable  temporary  differences  respectively,  being  the 
differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and their tax bases. 
Deferred tax assets also arise from unused tax losses and unused tax credits.

Apart from certain limited exceptions, all deferred tax liabilities, and all deferred tax assets to the extent that it is probable 
that future taxable profits will be available against which the asset can be utilised, are recognised. Future taxable profits 
that  may  support  the  recognition  of  deferred  tax  assets  arising  from  deductible  temporary  differences  include  those 
that will arise from the reversal of existing taxable temporary differences, provided those differences relate to the same 
taxation authority and the same taxable entity, and are expected to reverse either in the same period as the expected 
reversal of the deductible temporary difference or in periods into which a tax loss arising from the deferred tax asset 
can be carried back or forward. The same criteria are adopted when determining whether existing taxable temporary 
differences  support  the  recognition  of  deferred  tax  assets  arising  from  unused  tax  losses  and  credits,  that  is,  those 
differences  are  taken  into  account  if  they  relate  to  the  same  taxation  authority  and  the  same  taxable  entity,  and  are 
expected to reverse in a period, or periods, in which the tax loss or credit can be utilised.

The limited exception to the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities are those temporary differences arising from 
goodwill, the initial recognition of assets or liabilities that affect neither accounting nor taxable profit (provided they are 
not part of a business combination), and temporary differences relating to investments in subsidiaries, associates and 
joint ventures to the extent that, in the case of taxable differences, the Group controls the timing of the reversal and it is 
probable that the differences will not reverse in the foreseeable future, or in the case of deductible differences, unless it 
is probable that they will reverse in the future and it is probable that future taxable profit will be available against which 
the temporary difference can be utilised.

The amount of deferred tax recognised is measured based on the expected manner of realisation or settlement of the 
carrying amount of the assets and liabilities, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the end of the reporting 
period  and  are  expected  to  apply  when  related  deferred  tax  asset  is  realised  or  the  deferred  tax  liability  is  settled. 
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are not discounted.

The carrying amount of a deferred tax asset is reviewed at the end of each reporting period and is reduced to the extent 
that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow the related tax benefit to be utilised. 
Any such reduction is reversed to the extent that it becomes probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 159

2 
(w) 

Significant accounting policies (Continued)
Income tax (Continued)

Current  tax  balances  and  deferred  tax  balances,  and  movements  therein,  are  presented  separately  from  each  other 
and are not offset. Current tax assets are offset against current tax liabilities, and deferred tax assets against deferred 
tax liabilities, if the Company or the Group has the legally enforceable right to set off current tax assets against current 
tax liabilities and the following additional conditions are met:

– 

– 

in the case of current tax assets and liabilities, the Company or the Group intends either to settle on a net basis, 
or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously; or

in the case of deferred tax assets and liabilities, if they relate to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority 
on either:

– 

– 

the same taxable entity; or

different taxable entities, which, in each future period in which significant amounts of deferred tax liabilities 
or assets are expected to be settled or recovered, intend to realise the current tax assets and settle the 
current tax liabilities on a net basis or realise and settle simultaneously.

(x)  Revenue recognition

Revenue  is  measured  at  the  fair  value  of  the  consideration  received  or  receivable.  Provided  it  is  probable  that  the 
economic benefits will flow to the Group and the revenue and costs, if applicable, can be measured reliably, revenue 
is recognised in income statement as follows:

(i) 

Passenger, cargo and mail revenues
Passenger revenue is recognised at the fair value of the consideration received when the transportation service 
is provided. Unearned passenger revenue at the reporting date is included within sales in advance of carriage 
in the consolidated statement of financial position.

Cargo and mail revenues are recognised when the transportation is provided.

Revenues from airlines-related business are recognised when services are rendered.

(ii)  Frequent flyer revenue

The Group maintains two major frequent flyer award programmes, namely, the China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl 
Club and the Xiamen Airlines’ Egret Card Frequent Flyer Programme, which provide travel and other awards to 
members based on accumulated mileages.

The  amount  received  in  relation  to  mileage  earning  flights  is  allocated,  based  on  fair  value,  between  the  flight 
and mileage earned by members of the Group’s frequent flyer award programmes. The value attributed to the 
awarded mileage is deferred as a liability, within deferred revenue, until the mileage is redeemed and the related 
benefits are received or used or they expire.

The amount received from third parties for the issue of mileage under the Group’s frequent flyer award programmes 
is also deferred as a liability, within deferred revenue.

As members of the frequent flyer award programmes redeem mileages for an award, revenue in relation to flight 
awards is recognised when the transportation is provided; revenue in relation to non-flight rewards is recognised 
at the point of redemption where non-flight rewards are selected.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016160

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(x)  Revenue recognition (Continued)
(iii)  Operating rental income

Receivable  under  operating  leases  is  recognised  in  income  statement  in  equal  instalments  over  the  periods 
covered by the lease term, except where an alternative basis is more representative of the pattern of benefits to 
be derived from the use of the leased asset. Lease incentives granted are recognised in income statement as 
an integral part of the aggregate net lease payments receivable. Contingent rentals are recognised as income 
in the accounting period in which they are earned.

(iv)  Dividends

– 

– 

Dividend income from unlisted investments is recognised when the shareholder’s right to receive payment 
is established.

Dividend income from listed investments is recognised when the share price of the investment goes ex-
dividend.

(v)  Government grants

Government grants are recognised in consolidated statement of financial position initially when there is reasonable 
assurance that they will be received and that the Group will comply with the conditions attaching to them. Grants 
that compensate the Group for expenses incurred are recognised as other net income in income statement on 
a systematic basis in the same periods in which the expenses are incurred. Grants that compensate the Group 
for  the  cost  of  an  asset  are  deducted  from  the  carrying  amount  of  the  asset  and  consequently  are  effectively 
recognised in income statement over the useful life of the asset by way of reduced depreciation expense.

(vi) 

Interest income
Interest income is recognised as it accrues using the effective interest method.

(y)  Traffic commissions

Traffic  commissions  are  expensed  in  income  statement  when  the  transportation  is  provided  and  the  related  revenue 
is  recognised.  Traffic  commissions  for  transportation  not  yet  provided  are  recorded  on  the  consolidated  statement  of 
financial position as prepaid expense.

(z)  Maintenance and overhaul costs

Routine maintenance, repairs and overhauls are charged to income statement as and when incurred.

In  respect  of  owned  and  finance  leased  aircraft,  components  within  the  aircraft  subject  to  replacement  during  major 
overhauls  are  depreciated  over  the  average  expected  life  between  major  overhauls.  When  each  major  overhaul  is 
performed,  its  cost  is  recognised  in  the  carrying  amount  of  property,  plant  and  equipment  and  is  depreciated  over 
the  estimated  period  between  major  overhauls.  Any  remaining  carrying  amount  of  cost  of  previous  major  overhaul  is 
derecognised and charged to income statement.

In respect of aircraft held under operating leases, the Group has responsibility to fulfill certain return conditions under 
relevant  lease  agreements.  In  order  to  fulfill  these  return  conditions,  major  overhauls  are  required  to  be  conducted. 
Accordingly, estimated costs of major overhauls are accrued and charged to the income statement over the estimated 
overhaul  period.  Differences  between  the  estimated  costs  and  the  actual  costs  of  overhauls  are  charged  to  income 
statement in the period when the overhaul is performed.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 161

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(aa)  Borrowing costs

General  and  specific  borrowing  costs  directly  attributable  to  the  acquisition,  construction  or  production  of  qualifying 
assets, which are assets that necessarily take a substantial period of time to get ready for their intended use or sale, are 
added to the cost of those assets, until such time when substantially all the activities necessary to prepare the qualifying 
asset for its intended use or sale are interrupted or complete.

Investment income earned on the temporary investment of specific borrowings pending their expenditure on qualifying 
assets is deducted from the borrowing costs eligible for capitalisation.

All other borrowing costs are recognised in profit or loss in the period in which they are incurred.

Borrowing costs include interest expense, finance charges in respect of finance leases and exchange differences arising 
from foreign currency borrowings to the extent that they are regarded as an adjustment to interest costs.

(ab)  Employee benefits

(i) 

Short term employee benefits and contributions to defined contribution retirement schemes
Salaries, annual bonuses and contributions to defined contribution retirement schemes are accrued in the year 
in which the associated services are rendered by employees. Where payment or settlement is deferred and the 
effect would be material, these amounts are stated at their present values.

(ii)  Termination benefits

Termination benefits are recognised when, and only when, the Group demonstrably commits itself to terminate 
employment or to provide benefits as a result of voluntary redundancy by having a detailed formal plan which is 
without realistic possibility of withdrawal.

(iii)  Share-based payment

The  fair  value  of  the  amount  payable  to  employee  in  respect  of  share  appreciation  rights  (“SARs”),  which  are 
settled in cash, is recognised as an expense with a corresponding increase in liabilities, over the vesting period. 
The  liability  is  remeasured  at  each  reporting  date  and  at  settlement  date.  Any  changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the 
liability are recognised as staff cost in the consolidated income statement.

(ac)  Translation of foreign currencies

Items included in the financial statements of each of the group’s entities are measured using the currency of the primary 
economic environment in which the entity operates (‘the functional currency’). The consolidated financial statements are 
presented in RMB, which is the Company’s functional and the Group’s presentation currency.

Foreign currencies transactions during the year are translated into RMB at the applicable rates of exchange quoted by 
the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) prevailing at the transaction dates. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated 
in foreign currencies are translated into RMB at the PBOC exchange rates prevailing at the end of the reporting period. 
Exchange gains and losses are recognised in income statement.

Non-monetary assets and liabilities that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are translated into 
RMB at the PBOC exchange rates prevailing at the transaction dates. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated 
in foreign currencies that are stated at fair value are translated into RMB at the PBOC exchange rates prevailing at the 
dates the fair value was determined.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016162

Significant accounting policies (Continued)

2 
(ad)  Related parties

(a) 

A person, or a close member of that person’s family, is related to the Group if that person:

(i) 

has control or joint control over the Group;

(ii) 

has significant influence over the Group; or

(iii) 

is a member of the key management personnel of the Group or the Group’s parent.

(b) 

An entity is related to the Group if any of the following conditions applies:

(i) 

(ii) 

The entity and the Group are members of the same Group (which means that each parent, subsidiary and 
fellow subsidiary is related to the others).

One entity is an associate or joint venture of the other entity (or an associate or joint venture of a member 
of a group of which the other entity is a member).

(iii) 

Both entities are joint ventures of the same third party.

(iv)  One entity is a joint venture of a third entity and the other entity is an associate of the third entity.

(v) 

The entity is a post-employment benefit plan for the benefit of employees of either the Group or an entity 
related to the Group.

(vi) 

The entity is controlled or jointly controlled by a person identified in (a).

(vii)  A person identified in (a)(i) has significant influence over the entity or is a member of the key management 

personnel of the entity (or of a parent of the entity).

Close  members  of  the  family  of  a  person  are  those  family  members  who  may  be  expected  to  influence,  or  be 
influenced by, that person in their dealings with the entity.

(ae)  Segment reporting

Operating segments, and the amounts of each segment item reported in the financial statements, are identified from the 
financial information provided regularly to the Group’s most senior executive management, who is the chief operating 
decision maker, for the purposes of allocating resources to, and assessing the performance of, the Group’s various lines 
of business and geographical locations.

Individually  material  operating  segments  are  not  aggregated  for  financial  reporting  purposes  unless  the  segments 
have  similar  economic  characteristics  and  are  similar  in  respect  of  the  nature  of  products  and  services,  the  nature 
of  production  processes,  the  type  or  class  of  customers,  the  methods  used  to  distribute  the  products  or  provide  the 
services, and the nature of the regulatory environment. Operating segments which are not individually material may be 
aggregated if they share a majority of these criteria.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 163

3  Accounting estimates and judgements

The Groups’ financial position and results of operations are sensitive to accounting methods, assumptions and estimates 
that underlie the preparation of the financial statements. The Group bases the assumptions and estimates on historical 
experience and on various other assumptions that the Group believes to be reasonable and which form the basis for 
making judgements about matters that are not readily apparent from other sources. On an ongoing basis, management 
evaluates its estimates. Actual results may differ from those estimates as facts, circumstances and conditions change.

The selection of critical accounting policies, the judgements and other uncertainties affecting application of those policies 
and  the  sensitivity  of  reported  results  to  changes  in  condition  and  assumptions  are  factors  to  be  considered  when 
reviewing the financial statements. In addition to the assumptions and estimates regarding fair value measurements of 
financial instruments disclosed in Note 4(g), the Group believes the following also involve key accounting estimates and 
judgements used in the preparation of the financial statements.

(a)  Accounting estimates

(i) 

Impairment of long-lived assets (other than goodwill)
If circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable, the asset may 
be considered “impaired”, and an impairment loss may be recognised in accordance with IAS 36, Impairment 
of  Assets.  The  carrying  amounts  of  long-lived  assets  are  reviewed  periodically  in  order  to  assess  whether  the 
recoverable amounts have declined below the carrying amounts. These assets are tested for impairment whenever 
events or changes in circumstances indicate that their recorded carrying amounts may not be recoverable. When 
such a decline has occurred, the carrying amount is reduced to the recoverable amount. The recoverable amount 
is the higher of the fair value less costs of disposal and value in use. In particular, in determining the value in 
use of the Group’s aircraft fleet, expected future cash flows to be generated by the asset are discounted to their 
present value, which requires significant judgement relating to forecast traffic revenue, forecast operating costs 
and discount rate applied. The Group uses all readily available information in determining an amount that is a 
reasonable  approximation  of  recoverable  amount,  including  estimates  based  on  reasonable  and  supportable 
assumptions for projections of traffic revenue and operating costs and application of discount rate.

(ii)  Provision for major overhauls

Provision  for  the  cost  of  major  overhauls  to  fulfil  the  lease  return  conditions  for  airframes  and  engines  held 
under operating leases are accrued and charged to the income statement over the estimated overhaul period. 
This requires estimation of the expected overhaul cycles and overhaul costs, which are based on the historical 
experience  of  actual  costs  incurred  for  overhauls  of  airframes  and  engines  of  the  same  or  similar  types  and 
current economic and airlines-related developments. Different estimates could significantly affect the estimated 
provision and the results of operations.

(iii)  Frequent flyer revenue

The amount of revenue attributable to the mileage earned by the members of the Group’s frequent flyer award 
programmes  is  estimated  based  on  the  fair  value  of  the  mileage  awarded  and  the  expected  redemption  rate. 
The fair value of mileage awarded is estimated by reference to external sales. The expected redemption rate is 
estimated based on historical experience, anticipated redemption patterns and the frequent flyer programmes’ 
design. Different estimates could significantly affect the estimated deferred revenue and the results of operations.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016164

3  Accounting estimates and judgements (Continued)
(a)  Accounting estimates (Continued)

(iv)  Depreciation

Property, plant and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives, after taking 
into account the estimated residual value. The Group reviews the estimated useful lives of assets annually in order 
to determine the amount of depreciation expense to be recorded during any financial year. The useful lives are 
based on the Group’s historical experience with similar assets and take into account anticipated technological 
changes. The depreciation expense for future periods is adjusted if there are significant changes from previous 
estimates.

(v)  Provision for consumable spare parts and maintenance materials

Provision for consumable spare parts and maintenance materials is made based on the difference between the 
carrying  amount  and  the  net  realisable  value.  The  net  realisable  value  is  estimated  based  on  current  market 
condition,  historical  experience  and  Company’s  future  operation  plan  for  the  consumable  spare  parts  and 
maintenance materials. The net realisable value may be adjusted due to the change of market condition and the 
future plan for the consumable spare parts and maintenance materials.

(vi) 

Income tax
There are certain transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain during the 
ordinary course of business. The Group recognizes liabilities for anticipated tax audit issues based on estimates 
of whether additional tax will be due. Where the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts 
that were initially recorded, such differences will impact the current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities 
in the year in which such determination is made.

(vii) 

Impairment of trade receivables
When there is objective evidence that the Group will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original 
terms of the receivables, a provision for impairment of trade receivables is established based on the difference 
between the receivable’s carrying amount and the present value of estimated future cash flows, discounted at 
the original effective interest rate.

(b)  Accounting judgements
Retirement benefits
According to IAS 19, Employee Benefits, an entity shall account not only for its legal obligation under the formal terms 
of a defined benefit plan, but also for any constructive obligation that arises from the entity’s informal practices where 
the entity has no realistic alternative but to pay the employee benefits. The Company believes the payments of welfare 
subsidy  to  those  retirees  who  retired  before  the  establishment  of  Pension  Scheme  (as  defined  in  Note  50(a))  are 
discretionary and have not created a legal or constructive obligation. Such payments are made according to the Group’s 
business performance, and can be suspended at any time (Note 14).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 165

4 

Financial risk management and fair values
The  Group  is  exposed  to  liquidity,  interest  rate,  currency,  credit  risks  and  commodity  jet  fuel  price  risk  in  the  normal 
course of business. The Group’s overall risk management programme focuses on the unpredictability of financial market 
and seeks to minimize the adverse effects on the Group’s financial performance. The Group’s exposure to these risks 
and the financial risk management policies and practices used by the Group to manage these risks are described below.

(a)  Liquidity risk

As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets by RMB54,168 million. For the year 
ended 31 December 2016, the Group recorded a net cash inflow from operating activities of RMB23,764 million, a net 
cash outflow from investing activities of RMB15,750 million and a net cash outflow from financing activities of RMB8,459 
million, which in total resulted in a net decrease in cash and cash equivalents of RMB445 million.

The Group is dependent on its ability to maintain adequate cash inflow from operations, its ability to maintain existing 
external  financing,  and  its  ability  to  obtain  new  external  financing  to  meet  its  debt  obligations  as  they  fall  due  and  to 
meet its committed future capital expenditures. The Group’s policy is to regularly monitor its liquidity requirements and 
its compliance with lending covenants, to ensure that it maintains sufficient reserves of cash and adequate committed 
lines of funding from major financial institutions to meet its liquidity requirements in the short and longer term. As at 31 
December 2016, the Group had banking facilities with several PRC banks and financial institutions for providing bank 
financing  up  to  approximately  RMB139,274  million  (2015:  RMB173,739  million),  of  which  approximately  RMB110,199 
million (2015: RMB131,021 million) was unutilised. The Directors of the Company believe that sufficient financing will be 
available to the Group when and where needed.

The Directors of the Company have carried out a review of the cash flow forecast of the Group for the twelve months 
ending  31  December  2017.  Based  on  such  forecast,  the  Directors  have  determined  that  adequate  liquidity  exists  to 
finance the working capital, capital expenditure requirements and dividend payments of the Group during that period. 
In preparing the cash flow forecast, the Directors have considered historical cash requirements of the Group as well as 
other key factors, including the availability of the above-mentioned bank facilities, which may impact the operations of 
the Group during the next twelve-month period. The Directors of the Company are of the opinion that the assumptions 
and sensitivities which are included in the cash flow forecast are reasonable. However, as with all assumptions in regard 
to future events, these are subject to inherent limitations and uncertainties and some or all of these assumptions may 
not be realised.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016166

Financial risk management and fair values (Continued)

4 
(a)  Liquidity risk (Continued)

The following tables show the remaining contractual  maturities  at  the end  of the  reporting  period  of the Group’s  non-
derivative  financial  liabilities,  which  are  based  on  contractual  undiscounted  cash  flows  (including  interest  payments 
computed  using  contractual  rates  or,  if  floating,  based  on  rates  current  at  the  end  of  the  reporting  period)  and  the 
earliest date the Group can be required to pay:

2016 Contractual undiscounted cash outflow

More than 
1 year but 
less than 
2 years

More than 
2 years but 
less than 
5 years

Carrying 
Within 
amount at 
1 year or 
31 December
on demand
RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million

More than 
5 years

Total

Borrowings
Obligations under finance leases
Trade and other payables and 

accrued charges

27,654
10,663

19,015

57,332

1,039
8,683

19,124
24,795

61
27,247

47,878
71,388

45,504
62,222

–

–

–

19,015

19,015

9,722

43,919

27,308

138,281

126,741

2015 Contractual undiscounted cash outflow

More than 
1 year but 
less than 
2 years

More than 
2 years but 
less than 
5 years

Carrying 
Within 
amount at 
1 year or 
31 December
on demand
RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million

More than 
5 years

Total

Borrowings
Obligations under finance leases
Trade and other payables and 

accrued charges

30,789
7,863

17,505

56,157

7,110
8,613

8,700
19,515

744
26,732

47,343
62,723

45,886
55,824

–

–

–

17,505

17,505

15,723

28,215

27,476

127,571

119,215

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
167

4 
(b) 

Financial risk management and fair values (Continued)
Interest rate risk

The interest rates and maturity information of the Group’s borrowings and obligations under finance leases are disclosed 
in Note 36 and Note 37, respectively. The Group’s borrowings and obligations under finance leases issued at floating 
and fixed interest rates expose the Group to cash flow interest rate risk and fair value interest rate risk, respectively. The 
Group determines the ratio of fixed-rate and floating-rate instruments according to the market environment, and maintains 
an appropriate combination of fixed-rate and floating-rate instruments by reviewing and monitoring it on a regular basis.

Interest  rate  swaps,  denominated  in  United  States  Dollars  (“USD”),  have  been  entered  into  to  mitigate  its  cash  flow 
interest  rate  risk.  Under  the  interest  rate  swaps,  the  Group  agrees  with  other  third  parties  to  exchange,  at  specified 
intervals (primarily quarterly), the difference between fixed contract rates and floating-rate interest amounts calculated 
by reference to the agreed notional amounts (Note 29).

As  at  31  December  2016,  it  is  estimated  that  a  general  increase/decrease  of  100  basis  points  in  interest  rates,  with 
all other variables held constant, would have decreased/increased the Group’s profit after tax and retained profits by 
approximately RMB376 million (2015: RMB416 million). Other components of consolidated equity would not be affected 
(2015: Nil) by the changes in interest rates.

The sensitivity analysis above indicates the instantaneous change in the Group’s profit after tax and retained profits and 
other components of consolidated equity that would arise assuming that the change in interest rates had occurred at the 
end of the reporting period and had been applied to re-measure those financial instruments held by the Group which 
expose the Group to fair value interest rate risk at the end of the reporting period. In respect of the exposure to cash 
flow interest rate risk arising from floating rate non-derivative instruments held by the Group at the end of the reporting 
period, the impact on the Group’s profit after tax (and retained profits) and other components of consolidated equity is 
estimated as an annualised impact on interest expense or income of such a change in interest rates. This analysis is 
performed on the same basis as that for 2015.

(c)  Foreign currency risk

RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. All foreign exchange transactions involving RMB must take place 
either through the PBOC or other institutions authorised to buy and sell foreign exchange or at a swap centre.

The Group has significant exposure to foreign currency risk as majority of the Group’s obligations under finance leases 
(Note 37) and certain of the bank borrowings (Note 36) are denominated in foreign currencies, principally USD, Euro and 
Japanese Yen. Depreciation or appreciation of RMB against foreign currencies affects the Group’s results significantly 
because the Group’s foreign currency liabilities generally exceed its foreign currency assets.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016168

Financial risk management and fair values (Continued)

4 
(c)  Foreign currency risk (Continued)

The following table indicates the instantaneous change in the Group’s profit after tax and retained profits that would arise 
if foreign exchange rates to which the Group has significant exposure at the end of the reporting period had changed 
at that date, assuming all other risk variables remained constant.

USD

Euro

Japanese Yen

USD

Euro

Japanese Yen

2016

Appreciation/
(depreciation) of
 RMB against 
foreign currency

Increase/(decrease) 
on profit after tax 
and retained profits 
RMB million

1%
(1%)

1%
(1%)

10%
(10%)

2015

305
(305)

31
(31)

134
(134)

Appreciation/
(depreciation) of 
RMB against 
foreign currency

Increase/(decrease) 
on profit after tax 
and retained profits 
RMB million

1%
(1%)

1%
(1%)

10%
(10%)

453
(453)

38
(38)

135
(135)

Results of the analysis as presented in the above table represent an aggregation of the instantaneous effects on each 
of the group entities’ profit after tax and retained profits measured in the respective functional currencies, translated into 
RMB at the exchange rate ruling at the end of the reporting period for presentation purposes.

The  sensitivity  analysis  assumes  that  the  change  in  foreign  exchange  rates  had  been  applied  to  re-measure  those 
financial instruments, borrowings, and finance lease obligations held by the Group which expose the Group to foreign 
currency  risk  at  the  end  of  the  reporting  period,  including  inter-company  payables  and  receivables  within  the  Group 
which are denominated in a currency other than the functional currencies of the lender or the borrower. The analysis 
excludes  differences  that  would  result  from  the  translation  of  the  financial  statements  of  foreign  operations  into  the 
Group’s presentation currency. The analysis is performed on the same basis for 2015.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
169

Financial risk management and fair values (Continued)

4 
(d)  Credit risk

The Group’s credit risk is primarily attributable to cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables and the guarantees on 
personal bank loans provided to the Group’s pilot trainees.

Substantially all of the Group’s cash and cash equivalents are deposited with major reputable PRC financial institutions, 
which management believes are of high credit quality.

A significant portion of the Group’s air tickets are sold by agents participating in the Billing and Settlement Plan (“BSP”), 
a clearing scheme between airlines and sales agents organised by International Air Transportation Association. The use 
of  the  BSP  reduces  credit  risk  to  the  Group.  As  at  31  December  2016,  the  balance  due  from  BSP  agents  amounted 
to  RMB1,267  million  (2015:  RMB1,054  million).  The  credit  risk  exposure  to  BSP  and  the  remaining  trade  receivables 
balance are monitored by the Group on an ongoing basis and the allowance for impairment of doubtful debts is within 
management’s  expectations.  Further  quantitative  disclosures  in  respect  of  the  Group’s  exposure  to  credit  risk  arising 
from trade receivables is set out in Note 33.

The Company and its subsidiary, Xiamen Airlines Company Limited (“Xiamen Airlines”), entered into agreements with 
their pilot trainees and certain banks to provide guarantees on personal bank loans amounting to RMB696 million (31 
December  2015:  RMB627  million)  that  can  be  drawn  by  the  pilot  trainees  to  finance  their  respective  flight  training 
expenses. As at 31 December 2016, total personal bank loans of RMB409 million (31 December 2015: RMB454 million), 
under these guarantees, were drawn down from the banks. During the year, the Group has paid RMB4 million (2015: 
RMB4 million) to the banks due to the default of payments of certain pilot trainees (Note 52(b)).

(e)  Jet fuel price risk

The Group’s results of operations may be significantly affected by fluctuations in fuel prices since the jet fuel expenses 
are a significant cost for the Group. A reasonable possible increase/decrease of 10% (2015:10%) in jet fuel price, with 
volume  of  fuel  consumed  and  all  other  variables  held  constant,  would  have  increased/decreased  the  fuel  costs  by 
approximately RMB2,380 million (2015: RMB2,627 million). The sensitivity analysis indicates the instantaneous change 
in the Group’s jet fuel costs that would arise assuming that the change in fuel price had occurred at the beginning of 
the financial year.

(f)  Capital management

The Group’s primary objectives in managing capital are to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern, 
and to generate sufficient profit to maintain growth and provide returns to its shareholders, by securing access to finance 
at a reasonable cost.

The  Group  manages  the  amount  of  capital  in  proportion  to  risk  and  manages  its  debt  portfolio  in  conjunction  with 
projected  financing  requirements.  The  Group  monitors  capital  on  the  basis  of  the  debt  ratio,  which  is  calculated  as 
total  liabilities  divided  by  total  assets.  In  order  to  maintain  or  adjust  the  debt  ratio,  the  Group  may  adjust  the  amount 
of  dividends  paid  to  shareholders,  issue  new  shares,  return  capital  to  shareholders,  raise  new  debt  financing  or  sell 
assets to reduce debt.

The Group’s debt ratio was 73% as at 31 December 2016 (2015: 73%).

Except for the compliance of certain financial covenants for maintaining the Group’s banking facilities and borrowings, 
the Group is not subject to any externally imposed capital requirements. The Group complied with the financial covenants 
attached to borrowings as at 31 December 2016.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016170

4 
(g)  Fair value
(i) 

Financial risk management and fair values (Continued)

Financial instruments carried at fair value
Fair value hierarchy
The  following  table  presents  the  carrying  value  of  financial  instruments  measured  at  the  end  of  the  reporting 
period on a recurring basis, categorised into the three-level fair value hierarchy as defined in IFRS 13, Fair value 
measurement.  The  level  into  which  a  fair  value  measurement  is  classified  is  determined  with  reference  to  the 
observability and significance of the inputs used in the valuation technique as follows:

• 

• 

Level 1 valuations: Fair value measured using only Level 1 inputs i.e. unadjusted quoted prices in active 
markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date

Level 2 valuations: Fair value measured using Level 2 inputs i.e. observable inputs which fail to meet Level 
1, and not using significant unobservable inputs. Unobservable inputs are inputs for which market data 
are not available

• 

Level 3 valuations: Fair value measured using significant unobservable inputs

Fair value measurements as at 
31 December 2016 categorised into

Recurring fair value measurement
Financial assets:
Available-for-sale equity securities:

– Listed shares
– Non-tradable shares

Derivative financial instruments:

– Interest rate swaps

Recurring fair value measurement
Financial assets:
Available-for-sale equity securities:

– Listed shares

Derivative financial instruments:

– Interest rate swaps

Note

28
28

29

Note

28

29

Fair value at 
31 December 
2016

Level 3
RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million

Level 2

Level 1

88
411

21

88
–

–

–
–

21

–
411

–

Fair value measurements as at 
31 December 2015 categorised into

Fair value at 
31 December 
2015

Level 3
RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million

Level 2

Level 1

104

13

104

–

–

13

–

–

During the years ended 31 December 2016 and 2015, there were no transfers among level 1, level 2 and level 3. 
The Group’s policy is to recognise transfers between levels of fair value hierarchy as at the end of the reporting 
period in which they occur.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
171

Financial risk management and fair values (Continued)

4 
(g)  Fair value (Continued)

(i) 

Financial instruments carried at fair value (Continued)
Valuation techniques and inputs used in Level 2 fair value measurements
Fair  value  of  interest  rate  swaps  in  derivative  financial  instruments  is  measured  by  discounting  the  expected 
receivable or payable amounts under the assumption that these swaps had been terminated at the end of the 
reporting period. The discount rates used are the US Treasury bond yield curve as at the end of the reporting 
period.

Information about Level 3 fair value measurements

Valuation technique

Significant 
unobservable inputs

Range

Available-for-sale equity securities: Discounted cash flow Expected profit growth rate 

8% to 10%

– Non-tradable shares

during the projection period

Terminal growth rate

Expected dividend payout rate

Discount rate

8%

30%

12.03%

The fair value of non-tradable available-for-sale equity securities is determined by discounting a projected cash 
flow series associated with the investments. The valuation takes into account the expected profit growth rate and 
expected dividend payout rate of the investee. The discount rate used have been adjusted to reflect specific risks 
relating to the investments. The fair value measurement is positively correlated to the expected profit growth rate 
and expected dividend rate of the investee, and negatively correlated to the discount rate.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the net unrealised gains of RMB378 million relating to the available-for-
sale equity securities – non-tradable shares are recognised in fair value reserve in other comprehensive income.

(ii)  Financial instruments not carried at fair value

(a) 

(b) 

Other investments in equity securities represent investments in equity securities that do not have a quoted 
price  in  an  active  market  for  an  identical  instrument  and  whose  fair  value  cannot  otherwise  be  reliably 
measured.  Accordingly,  they  are  recognised  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  financial  position  at  cost 
less impairment losses.

All  other  financial  instruments,  including  cash  and  cash  equivalents,  amounts  due  from/to  related 
companies,  trade  and  other  receivables,  trade  and  other  payables,  borrowings  and  obligations  under 
finance  leases  are  carried  at  amounts  not  materially  different  from  their  fair  values  as  at  31  December 
2016 and 2015.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
172

5 

Traffic revenue

Passenger
Cargo and mail

Segment reporting

6 
(a)  Business segments

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

102,502
7,191

109,693

100,238
6,861

107,099

The Group has two reportable operating segments “airlines transportation operations” and “other segments”, according 
to internal organisation structure, managerial needs and internal reporting system. “Airlines transportation operations” 
comprises the Group’s passenger and cargo and mail operations. “Other segments” includes hotel and tour operation, 
ground services, cargo handling and other miscellaneous services.

For  the  purposes  of  assessing  segment  performance  and  allocating  resources  between  segments,  the  Group’s  chief 
operating decision maker (“CODM”) monitors the results, assets and liabilities attributable to each reportable segment 
based on financial results prepared under the People’s Republic of China Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises 
(“PRC GAAP”). As such, the amount of each material reconciling item from the Group’s reportable segment revenue, 
profit  before  taxation,  assets  and  liabilities  arising  from  different  accounting  policies  are  set  out  in  Note  6(c).  The 
comparative  figures  in  the  Group’s  financial  statements  prepared  in  accordance  with  PRC  GAAP  are  restated  as  the 
Group acquired a subsidiary under common control in 2016 (Note 24(a)(v)). Management considered the impact of the 
above restatement is not material. Therefore, the Group’s segment results for the year ended 31 December 2015 and its 
segment assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2015 as disclosed in these financial statements have not been restated.

Inter-segment sales and transfers are transacted with reference to the selling prices used for sales made to third parties 
at the then prevailing market prices.

Information regarding the Group’s reportable segments as provided to the Group’s CODM for the purposes of resource 
allocation and assessment of segment performance is set out below.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
173

Segment reporting (Continued)

6 
(a)  Business segments (Continued)

The segment results of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2016 are as follows:

Airlines 
transportation 
operations
RMB million

Other 
segments
RMB million

Elimination
RMB million

Unallocated*
RMB million

Total
RMB million

Revenue from external customers
Inter-segment sales

Reportable segment revenue

Reportable segment profit before taxation

Reportable segment profit after taxation

Other segment information
Income tax
Interest income
Interest expense
Depreciation and amortisation
Impairment loss
Share of associates’ results
Share of joint ventures’ results
Gain on deemed disposal of a subsidiary
Non-current assets additions during the 
year (other than goodwill, interests in 
associates and joint ventures, other 
investments in equity securities, available-
for-sale financial assets, derivative 
financial instruments and deferred tax 
assets)

113,490
101

113,591

6,471

4,834

1,637
79
2,458
12,693
127
–
–
–

1,302
2,231

3,533

459

337

122
10
7
96
3
–
–
–

29,126

120

–
(2,332)

(2,332)

–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

717

717

–
–
–
–
–
511
102
90

114,792
–

114,792

7,647

5,888

1,759
89
2,465
12,789
130
511
102
90

–

29,246

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
174

Segment reporting (Continued)

6 
(a)  Business segments (Continued)

The segment results of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2015 are as follows:

Airlines 
transportation 
operations
RMB million

Other 
segments
RMB million

Elimination
RMB million

Unallocated*
RMB million

Total
RMB million

Revenue from external customers
Inter-segment sales

Reportable segment revenue

Reportable segment profit before taxation

Reportable segment profit after taxation

Other segment information
Income tax
Interest income
Interest expense
Depreciation and amortisation
Impairment loss
Share of associates’ results
Share of joint ventures’ results
Non-current assets additions during the year 
(other than interests in associates and 
joint ventures, other investments in equity 
securities, available-for-sale financial 
assets, derivative financial instruments 
and deferred tax assets)

110,067
114

110,181

5,480

4,199

1,281
244
2,156
11,915
105
–
–

1,400
1,528

2,928

279

205

74
9
32
97
3
–
–

24,242

98

–
(1,642)

(1,642)

–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

582

582

–
–
–
–
–
462
107

111,467
–

111,467

6,341

4,986

1,355
253
2,188
12,012
108
462
107

–

24,340

The segment assets and liabilities of the Group as at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 are as follows:

As at 31 December 2016
Reportable segment assets
Reportable segment liabilities

As at 31 December 2015
Reportable segment assets
Reportable segment liabilities

Airlines 
transportation 
operations
RMB million

Other 
segments
RMB million

Elimination
RMB million

Unallocated*
RMB million

Total
RMB million

192,881
144,768

180,753
136,391

3,201
1,355

2,795
1,290

(376)
(370)

(1,004)
(1,004)

4,755
–

3,706
–

200,461
145,753

186,250
136,677

* 

Unallocated  assets  primarily  include  goodwill,  interest  in  associates  and  joint  ventures,  available-for-sale  financial  assets, 
derivative  financial  instruments  and  other  investments  in  equity  securities.  Unallocated  results  primarily  include  the  share  of 
results of associates and joint ventures, dividend income from available-for-sale financial assets and other investments in equity 
securities and the gain on deemed disposal of a subsidiary.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
175

Segment reporting (Continued)

6 
(b)  The Group’s business segments operate in three main geographical areas, even though they 

are managed on a worldwide basis.

The Group’s revenues by geographical segment are analysed based on the following criteria:

(1) 

Traffic  revenue  from  services  of  both  origin  and  destination  within  the  PRC  (excluding  Hong  Kong  Special 
Administrative  Region,  Macau  Special  Administrative  Region  and  Taiwan  (“Hong  Kong,  Macau  and  Taiwan”)), 
is classified as domestic revenue. Traffic revenue with origin and destination among PRC, Hong Kong, Macau 
and Taiwan is classified as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan revenue; while that with origin and destination from/
to other overseas markets is classified as international revenue.

(2) 

Revenues  from  commission  income,  hotel  and  tour  operation,  ground  services,  cargo  handling  and  other 
miscellaneous services are classified on the basis of where the services are performed.

Domestic
International
Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

2016
RMB Million

2015
RMB Million

84,380
28,096
2,316

114,792

82,981
25,872
2,614

111,467

The  major  revenue  earning  assets  of  the  Group  are  its  aircraft  fleet  which  is  registered  in  the  PRC  and  is 
deployed across its worldwide route network. Majority of the Group’s other assets are located in the PRC. CODM 
considers that there is no suitable basis for allocating such assets and related liabilities to geographical locations. 
Accordingly, geographical segment assets and liabilities are not disclosed.

(c)  Reconciliation of reportable segment revenues, profit before income tax, assets and liabilities 

to the consolidated figures as reported in the consolidated financial statements.

Revenue
Reportable segment revenue
Reclassification of expired sales in advance of carriage
Reclassification of sales tax
Adjustments arising from business combinations under common 

control

Consolidated revenue

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

(i)
(ii)

(v)

114,792
376
(161)

(26)

114,981

111,467
459
(274)

–

111,652

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
176

Segment reporting (Continued)

6 
(c)  Reconciliation of reportable segment revenues, profit before income tax, assets and liabilities 
to the consolidated figures as reported in the consolidated financial statements. (Continued)

Profit before income tax
Reportable segment profit before taxation
Capitalisation of exchange difference of specific loans
Government grants
Adjustments arising from business combinations under common 

control

Consolidated profit before income tax

Assets
Reportable segment assets
Capitalisation of exchange difference of specific loans
Government grants
Adjustments arising from business combinations under common 

control

Others

Consolidated total assets

Liabilities
Reportable segment liabilities
Government grants

Consolidated total liabilities

Note

(iii)
(iv)

(v)

Note

(iii)
(iv)

(v)

Note

(iv)

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

7,647
48
1

(35)

7,661

6,341
(222)
1

(2)

6,118

31 December 
2016
RMB million

31 December 
2015
RMB million

200,461
149
(316)

184
(36)

186,250
101
(342)

–
(20)

200,442

185,989

31 December 
2016
RMB million

31 December 
2015
RMB million

145,753
(287)

145,466

136,677
(312)

136,365

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
177

Segment reporting (Continued)

6 
(c)  Reconciliation of reportable segment revenues, profit before income tax, assets and liabilities 
to the consolidated figures as reported in the consolidated financial statements. (Continued)
Notes:

(i) 

In  accordance  with  the  PRC  GAAP,  expired  sales  in  advance  of  carriage  are  recorded  under  non-operating  income.  Under 
IFRSs, such income is recognised as other operating revenue.

(ii) 

In accordance with the PRC GAAP, sales tax is separately disclosed rather than deducted from revenue under IFRSs.

(iii) 

(iv) 

(v) 

In accordance with the PRC GAAP, exchange difference arising on translation of specific loans and related interest denominated 
in a foreign currency is capitalised as part of the cost of qualifying assets. Under IFRSs, such exchange difference is recognised 
in income statement unless the exchange difference represents an adjustment to interest.

In accordance with the PRC GAAP, special funds such as investment grants allocated by the government, if clearly defined on 
official documents as part of “capital reserve”, are credited to capital reserve. Otherwise, government grants related to assets 
are  recognised  as  deferred  income  and  amortised  to  profit  or  loss  on  a  straight  line  basis  over  the  useful  life  of  the  related 
assets. Under IFRSs, government grants relating to purchase of fixed assets are deducted from the cost of the related fixed 
assets.

In  accordance  with  the  PRC  GAAP,  the  Company  and  its  associate  account  for  the  business  combination  under  common 
control by applying the pooling-of-interest method. Under the pooling-of-interest method, the difference between the historical 
carrying amount of the acquiree and the consideration paid is accounted for as an equity transaction. Business combinations 
under common control are accounted for as if the acquisition had occurred at the beginning of the earliest comparative year 
presented or, if later, at the date that common control was established; for this purpose, comparative figures are restated under 
PRC GAAP. Under IFRSs, the Company adopts the purchase accounting method for acquisition of business under common 
control. In addition, adjustments are made to make its associate’s accounting policy of business combination under common 
control conform to the policy of the Company when the associate’s financial statements are used by the Company in applying 
the equity method when preparing its financial statements in accordance with IFRSs.

7  Other operating revenue

Commission income
Expired sales in advance of carriage
Hotel and tour operation income
General aviation income
Ground services income
Air catering income
Cargo handling income
Rental income
Others

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,518
376
625
461
384
253
201
179
291

5,288

1,545
459
621
490
345
239
230
182
442

4,553

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
178

8 

Flight operation expenses

Jet fuel costs
Flight personnel payroll and welfare
Aircraft operating lease charges
Air catering expenses
Civil Aviation Development Fund
Training expenses
Aircraft insurance
Others

9  Maintenance expenses

Aviation repair and maintenance charges
Staff payroll and welfare
Maintenance materials

10  Aircraft and transportation service expenses

Landing and navigation fees
Ground service and other charges

11  Promotion and selling expenses

Sales commissions
Ticket office expenses
Computer reservation services
Advertising and promotion
Others

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

23,799
9,215
7,330
2,965
2,565
1,120
197
4,270

51,461

26,274
8,070
6,153
2,680
2,482
1,003
168
3,582

50,412

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

7,952
2,363
1,003

11,318

7,396
2,131
880

10,407

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

13,109
7,106

20,215

11,510
6,398

17,908

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,926
2,875
777
173
553

6,304

3,150
2,605
605
122
494

6,976

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12  General and administrative expenses

General corporate expenses
Auditors’ remuneration

– Audit services
– Non-audit services
Other taxes and levies

13  Depreciation and amortisation

Depreciation

– Owned assets
– Assets acquired under finance leases
Amortisation of deferred benefits and gains
Other amortisation

14  Staff costs

Salaries, wages and welfare
Defined contribution retirement scheme
Other retirement welfare subsidy
Early retirement benefits (Note 44)

179

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,671
13
13
–
131

2,815

2,325
15
15
–
124

2,464

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

7,569
4,849
(131)
332

12,619

7,082
4,684
(148)
227

11,845

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

18,774
1,886
183
3

20,846

16,636
1,726
177
3

18,542

Staff  costs  relating  to  flight  operation  and  maintenance  are  also  included  in  the  respective  total  amounts  disclosed 
separately in Note 8 and Note 9 above.

Staff costs arising from the SARs, which have all been expired in 2015 (Note 50(c)), were included in “salaries, wages 
and welfare” above.

Five highest paid individuals

None of the directors (2015: none), whose emoluments are reflected in Note 57, is among the five highest paid individuals 
in the Group for 2016. The aggregate emoluments in respect of the five (2015: five) individuals during the year are as 
follows:

Salaries, wages and welfare
Retirement scheme contributions

2016
RMB’000

8,368
649

9,017

2015
RMB’000

7,856
617

8,473

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
180

14  Staff costs (Continued)

Five highest paid individuals (Continued)

The emoluments of the five (2015: five) individuals with the highest emoluments are within the following bands:

HK$1,500,000 to HK$2,000,000  

(RMB1,341,750 to RMB1,789,000 equivalent)

HK$2,000,001 to HK$2,500,000 

(RMB1,789,001 to RMB2,236,250 equivalent)

15  Other net income

Government grants (Note)
Gains/(losses) on disposal of property,  

plant and equipment and construction in progress
– Aircraft and spare engines and relating construction in progress
– Other property, plant and equipment

Others

Note:

2016
Number of 
individuals

2015
Number of 
individuals

1

4

3

2

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,837

2,331

523
34
441

3,835

414
(102)
635

3,278

Government  grants  mainly  represent  (i)  subsidies  based  on  certain  amount  of  tax  paid  granted  by  governments  to  the  Group;  (ii) 
subsidies granted by various local governments to encourage the Group to operate certain routes to cities where these governments 
are located.

There are no unfulfilled conditions and other contingencies related to subsidies that have been recognised during the year ended 31 
December 2016.

16 

Interest expense

Interest on borrowings
Interest relating to obligations under finance leases
Interest relating to provision for early retirement benefits (Note 44)
Less: interest expense capitalised (Note)
Interest rate swaps: cash flow hedge, reclassified from equity (Note 18)

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,444
1,598
1
(624)
46

2,465

1,320
1,248
2
(382)
–

2,188

Note:

The weighted average interest rate used for interest capitalisation was 3.22% per annum in 2016 (2015: 2.77%).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17 
(a) 

Income tax
Income tax expense in the consolidated income statement

PRC income tax

– Provision for the year
– Under/(over)-provision in prior year

Deferred tax (Note 30)
Origination and reversal of temporary differences

Tax expense

181

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,203
47

2,250

(487)

1,763

1,700
(41)

1,659

(359)

1,300

In respect of majority of the Group’s airlines operation outside mainland China, the Group has either obtained exemptions 
from overseas taxation pursuant to the bilateral aviation agreements between the overseas governments and the PRC 
government, or has sustained tax losses in those overseas jurisdictions. Accordingly, no provision for overseas income 
tax has been made for overseas airlines operation in the current and prior years.

Under the Corporate Income Tax Law of the PRC, the Company and majority of its PRC subsidiaries are subject to PRC 
income tax at 25% (2015: 25%). Certain PRC subsidiaries of the Company are subject to preferential income tax rate at 
15% according to the preferential tax policy in locations, where those subsidiaries are located.

(b)  Reconciliation between actual tax expense and calculated tax based on accounting profit at 

applicable tax rates

Profit before income tax

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

7,661

6,118

Notional tax on profit before taxation, calculated at the rates applicable to 

profits in the tax jurisdictions concerned (Note 17(a))

1,857

1,482

Adjustments for tax effect of:
Non-deductible expenses
Share of results of associates and joint ventures and other non-taxable 

income

Unused tax losses and deductible temporary differences for which no 

deferred tax assets were recognised

Utilisation of unused tax losses and deductible temporary differences for 

which no deferred tax assets were recognised in prior years

Under/(over)-provision in prior year
Others

Tax expense

4

(154)

48

(39)
47
–

3

(144)

23

(18)
(41)
(5)

1,763

1,300

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
182

18  Other comprehensive income

Cash flow hedges:
Effective portion of changes in fair value of hedging instruments 

recognised during the year

Reclassification adjustments for amounts transferred to profit or loss:

– interest expense (Note 16)

Net deferred tax debited to other comprehensive income

Net movement in the fair value reserve during the year recognised  

in other comprehensive income

Available-for-sale financial assets:
Changes in fair value recognised during the year
Net deferred tax debited to other comprehensive income

Net movement in the fair value reserve during the year recognised in other 

comprehensive income

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

(38)

46
(2)

6

362
(90)

272

13

–
(3)

10

–
–

–

19  Earnings per share

The calculation of basic earnings per share for the year ended 31 December 2016 is based on the profit attributable 
to  equity  shareholders  of  the  Company  of  RMB5,044  million  (2015:  RMB3,736  million)  and  the  weighted  average  of 
9,817,567,000 shares in issue during the year (2015: 9,817,567,000 shares).

The amounts of diluted earnings per share are the same as basic earnings per share as there were no dilutive potential 
ordinary shares in existence for the years ended 31 December 2016 and 2015.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
183

20  Property, plant and equipment, net

Aircraft

Investment 
properties

Total
RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million

Buildings

Owned

Acquired 
under 
finance 
leases

Other flight 
equipment 
including 
rotables

Machinery, 
equipment 
and vehicles

Cost:
At 1 January 2015
Additions
Transfer from construction in 

progress (Note 21)

Transfer from lease prepayments
Transfer to buildings upon cease of 

lease intention

Transfer to investment properties 

upon lease out

Reclassification on exercise of 

purchase option

Disposals

At 31 December 2015

At 1 January 2016
Acquisitions through business 
Combinations (Note 24(a)(v))

Additions
Transfer from construction in 

progress (Note 21)

Transfer to lease prepayments
Transfer to buildings upon cease of 

lease intention

Transfer to investment properties 

646
–

–
6

(8)

88

–
(2)

730

730

–
–

–
(21)

(64)

9,205
138

849
–

8

(88)

–
(38)

10,074

10,074

5
39

1,145
–

64

upon lease out

148

(148)

Reclassification on exercise of 

purchase option

Disposals
Deemed disposal of a subsidiary 

(Note 24(a)(vi))

At 31 December 2016

–
–

(124)

669

–
(32)

(79)

85,121
1,564

1,777
–

–

–

6,700
(1,454)

93,708

93,708

–
1,675

–
–

–

–

79,873
5,901

8,174
–

–

–

(6,700)
(416)

86,832

86,832

–
5,112

6,745
–

–

–

4,470
(2,536)

(4,470)
(347)

18,570
660

896
–

–

–

–
(1,156)

18,970

18,970

–
1,148

203
–

–

–

–
(751)

5,883
353

103
–

–

–

–
(230)

6,109

6,109

2
453

143
–

–

–

199,298
8,616

11,799
6

–

–

–
(3,296)

216,423

216,423

7
8,427

8,236
(21)

–

–

–
(466)

–
(4,132)

–

–

–

(41)

(244)

11,068

97,317

93,872

19,570

6,200

228,696

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
184

20  Property, plant and equipment, net (Continued)
Aircraft

Investment 
properties

Total
RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million RMB million

Buildings

Owned

Acquired 
under 
finance 
leases

Other flight 
equipment 
including 
rotables

Machinery, 
equipment 
and vehicles

Accumulated depreciation and 

impairment losses:

At 1 January 2015
Depreciation charge for the year
Transfer from lease prepayments
Transfer to buildings upon cease of 

lease intention

Transfer to investment properties 

upon lease out

Reclassification on exercise of 

purchase options

Disposals
Provision for impairment losses
Impairment losses written off on 

disposal

At 31 December 2015

At 1 January 2016
Depreciation charge for the year
Transfer to lease prepayments
Transfer to buildings upon cease of 

lease intention

Transfer to investment properties 

upon lease out

Reclassification on exercise of 

purchase options

Disposals
Deemed disposal of a subsidiary 

(Note 24(a)(vi))

Provision for impairment losses 

(Note 20(c))

Impairment losses written off on 

disposal

At 31 December 2016

Net book value:
At 31 December 2016

At 31 December 2015

187
19
2

(2)

18

–
(1)
–

–

223

223
20
(5)

(21)

39

–
–

(27)

–

–

229

440

507

3,028
351
–

34,800
5,089
–

12,579
4,684
–

10,566
1,104
–

2

(18)

–
(14)
–

–

3,349

3,349
358
–

21

(39)

–
(18)

(25)

–

–

–

–

2,301
(1,315)
15

(108)

40,782

40,782
5,476
–

–

–

–

–

(2,301)
(416)
40

–

14,586

14,586
4,849
–

–

–

2,141
(2,468)

(2,141)
(347)

–

21

–

–

50

–

–

–

–
(1,087)
35

(18)

10,600

10,600
1,159
–

–

–

–
(736)

–

–

(1)

3,685
519
–

–

–

–
(191)
–

–

4,013

4,013
556
–

–

–

–
(426)

(39)

–

–

64,845
11,766
2

–

–

–
(3,024)
90

(126)

73,553

73,553
12,418
(5)

–

–

–
(3,995)

(91)

71

(1)

3,646

45,952

16,997

11,022

4,104

81,950

7,422

6,725

51,365

52,926

76,875

72,246

8,548

8,370

2,096

2,096

146,746

142,870

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
185

20  Property, plant and equipment, net (Continued)
(a) 

As at 31 December 2016, the accumulated impairment provision of aircraft and flight equipment of the Group is RMB1,641 
million and RMB124 million respectively (2015: RMB1,570 million and RMB125 million respectively).

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

As at 31 December 2016, certain aircraft of the Group with an aggregate carrying value of approximately RMB78,318 
million (2015: RMB88,060 million) were mortgaged under certain loans or certain lease agreements (Note 36 and Note 
37).

As  at  31  December  2016,  the  Group  reviewed  the  recoverable  amounts  of  the  aircraft  and  related  assets  and  made 
an  additional  impairment  provision  of  RMB71  million  for  its  EMB  145  aircraft  and  EMB  190  aircraft.  The  estimates  of 
recoverable amounts were based on the higher of the assets’ fair value less costs of disposal and the value in use. The 
fair value was determined by reference to the recent observable market prices for the aircraft fleet and flight equipment.

As  at  31  December  2016  and  up  to  the  date  of  approval  of  these  financial  statements,  the  Group  is  in  the  process 
of  applying  for  the  property  title  certificates  in  respect  of  the  properties  located  in  Guangzhou  (including  Guangzhou 
Baiyun International Airport), Xiamen, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Dalian, Guangxi, Hunan, Beijing, Shanghai, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, 
Shenyang, Xinjiang, Henan, Chengdu, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei and Shantou, in which the Group has interests and for 
which such certificates have not been granted. As at 31 December 2016, carrying value of such properties of the Group 
amounted to RMB4,294 million (2015: RMB3,615 million). The Directors of the Company are of the opinion that the use 
of and the conduct of operating activities at the properties referred to above are not affected by the fact that the Group 
has not yet obtained the relevant property title certificates.

The  Group  leased  out  investment  properties  and  certain  flight  training  facilities  under  operating  leases.  The  leases 
typically run for an initial period of one to fourteen years, with an option to renew the leases after that date at which time 
all  terms  are  renegotiated.  None  of  the  leases  includes  contingent  rentals.  In  this  connection,  rental  income  totalling 
RMB179 million (2015: RMB182 million) was received by the Group during the year in respect of the leases. Directors 
estimated the fair value of these investment properties approximate the carrying amount.

The  properties  are  reclassified  between  investment  properties  and  other  property,  plant  and  equipment,  upon  the 
intention of commencement or cease of lease.

The Group’s total future minimum lease income under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:

Within 1 year
After 1 year but within 5 years
After 5 years

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

91
59
54

204

53
77
20

150

(f) 

As at 31 December 2016, certain investment properties of the Group with an aggregate carrying value of approximately 
RMB34 million (2015: RMB50 million) were mortgaged for certain bank borrowings (Note 36(a)(ii)).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
186

21  Construction in progress

Advance 
payment for 
aircraft and 
flight equipment
RMB million

Others
RMB million

Total
RMB million

At 1 January 2015
Additions
Transferred to property, plant and equipment  

17,754
13,671

1,593
1,287

19,347
14,958

(Note 20)

(10,787)

(1,012)

(11,799)

Transferred to other assets upon completion of 

development (Note 31)

Disposals

At 31 December 2015

At 1 January 2016
Additions
Transferred to property, plant and equipment  

(Note 20)

Transferred to other assets upon completion of 

development (Note 31)

Disposals

At 31 December 2016

22  Lease prepayments

–
(2,938)

17,700

17,700
18,930

(123)
(12)

1,733

1,733
1,362

(123)
(2,950)

19,433

19,433
20,292

(6,948)

(1,288)

(8,236)

–
(2,415)

27,267

(128)
(36)

1,643

(128)
(2,451)

28,910

Lease prepayments relate to the Group’s land use rights. In 2016, the amount of amortisation charged to consolidated 
income statement was RMB75 million (2015: RMB64 million).

A majority of the Group’s properties are located in the PRC. The Group was formally granted the rights to use certain 
parcels of land in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Beihai, Changsha, Shantou, Haikou, Zhengzhou, Jilin, Guiyang and 
other PRC cities by the relevant PRC authorities for periods of 30 to 70 years, which expire between 2020 and 2073.

As at 31 December 2016 and up to the date of approval of these financial statements, the Group is in the process of 
applying for certain land use right certificates. As at 31 December 2016, carrying value of such land use rights of the 
Group amounted to RMB866 million (2015: RMB1,359 million). The Directors of the Company are of the opinion that the 
use of and the conduct of operating activities at the land use rights referred to above are not affected by the fact that 
the Group has not yet obtained the relevant land use right certificates.

As at 31 December 2016, certain land use rights of the Group with an aggregate carrying value of approximately RMB79 
million (2015: RMB66 million) were mortgaged for certain bank borrowings (Note 36(a)(ii)).

23  Goodwill

Cost and carrying amount:
At 1 January
Acquisitions through business combination (Note 24(a)(v))

At 31 December

2016
RMB million

–
182

182

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
187

23  Goodwill (Continued)

Impairment tests for cash-generating units containing goodwill

The recoverable amount of the CGU is determined based on value-in-use calculation. The calculation uses cash flow 
projections based on financial budgets approved by management covering a five-year period. Cash flows beyond the 
five-year period are extrapolated using an estimated weighted average growth rate which does not exceed the long-
term average growth rates for the business in which the CGU operates. The cash flows are discounted using a discount 
rate of 13.40%.

24  Subsidiaries
(a) 

All  the  subsidiaries  of  the  Company  are  unlisted.  The  following  list  contains  only  the  particulars  of  subsidiaries  which 
principally affect the results, assets or liabilities of the Group.

Name of company

Place of 
establishment/
operation

Proportion 
of ownership 
interest held 
by the 

Registered capital

Company Principal activity

Henan Airlines Company Limited (i)

PRC

RMB6,000,000,000

60% Airlines transportation

Xiamen Airlines Company Limited (i) & (iv) PRC

RMB8,000,000,000

55% Airlines transportation

Chongqing Airlines Company Limited (i)

PRC

RMB1,200,000,000

60% Airlines transportation

Shantou Airlines Company Limited (i)

PRC

RMB280,000,000

60% Airlines transportation

Zhuhai Airlines Company Limited (i)

PRC

RMB250,000,000

60% Airlines transportation

Guizhou Airlines Company Limited (i)

PRC

RMB650,000,000

60% Airlines transportation

Guangzhou Nanland Air Catering 

PRC

RMB120,000,000

55% Air catering

Company Limited (ii)

Guangzhou Baiyun International Logistic 

PRC

RMB50,000,000

61% Logistics operations

Company Limited (i)

Beijing Southern Airlines Ground Services 

PRC

RMB18,000,000

100% Airport ground services

Company Limited (i)

China Southern Airlines Group Air 
Catering Company Limited (i)

PRC

RMB10,200,000

100% Air catering

Nan Lung International Freight Limited

Hong Kong

HKD3,270,000

51% Freight services

Southern Airlines Group Import and 
Export Trading Company (i) & (v)

PRC

RMB15,000,000

100% Import and export agent 

service

Southern Airlines General Aviation 

PRC

RMB1,000,000,000

100% General aviation

Company Limited (i)

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
188

24  Subsidiaries (Continued)
(a) 

All  the  subsidiaries  of  the  Company  are  unlisted.  The  following  list  contains  only  the  particulars  of  subsidiaries  which 
principally affect the results, assets or liabilities of the Group. (Continued)

(i) 

These subsidiaries are PRC limited liability companies.

(ii) 

This subsidiary is a Sino-foreign equity joint venture company established in the PRC.

(iii) 

Certain subsidiaries of the Group are PRC equity joint ventures which have limited terms pursuant to the PRC law.

(iv) 

(v) 

On 5 September 2016, the Board of the Company approved the plan for the increase in registered capital in Xiamen Airlines, 
pursuant to which, the registered capital of Xiamen Airlines increased from RMB5 billion to RMB8 billion. The Company and 
the other 2 third party non-controlling interests holders converted their portions of reserves and retained earnings in Xiamen 
Airlines that amounted to RMB1,650 million, RMB1,020 million and RMB330 million, respectively into the share capital of Xiamen 
Airlines. As a result, the percentage of equity interests held by the three parties in Xiamen Airlines remains unchanged before 
and after the capital injection.

Pursuant  to  the  equity  transfer  agreement  entered  into  between  the  Company  and  China  Southern  Air  Holding  Company 
(“CSAHC”, the Company’s holding company) on 2 February 2016, the Company acquired 100% equity interests in Southern 
Airlines (Group) Import and Export Trading Company (“SAIETC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CSAHC, at a cash consideration 
of  RMB400  million  in  August  2016.  SAIETC  became  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of  the  Company  upon  completion  of  the 
acquisition. The acquisition of SAIETC enables the Group to engage in import and export trading transactions.

In the period from the acquisition date to 31 December 2016, SAIETC contributed revenue of RMB68 million and profit of RMB14 
million  to  the  Group’s  results.  If  the  acquisition  had  occurred  on  1  January  2016,  management  estimate  that  consolidated 
revenue would have been increased by RMB154 million, and consolidated profit for the year would have been increased by 
RMB39  million.  In  determining  these  amounts,  management  have  assumed  that  the  fair  value  adjustments  that  arose  on  the 
acquisition date would have been the same if the acquisition had occurred on 1 January 2016. The information above is the 
amount before inter-company eliminations.

The above acquisitions had the following effect on the Group’s assets and liabilities on acquisition date:

Property, plant and equipment
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other payables

Total net identifiable assets

Consideration, satisfied by cash

Analysis of the net outflow of cash and cash equivalents in respect of the 

acquisitions:

Cash consideration paid
Cash and cash equivalents acquired

Net cash outflow

Goodwill
Goodwill was recognised as a result of the acquisitions as follows:

Total consideration transferred
Fair value of identifiable net assets

Goodwill (Note 23)

Note

20

Recognised values 
on acquisition
RMB million

7
124
211
(124)

218

400

400
(211)

189

Recognised values 
on acquisition
RMB million

400
(218)

182

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
189

24  Subsidiaries (Continued)
(a) 

All  the  subsidiaries  of  the  Company  are  unlisted.  The  following  list  contains  only  the  particulars  of  subsidiaries  which 
principally affect the results, assets or liabilities of the Group. (Continued)

(vi) 

The Company previously held 51.84% equity interests in Xinjiang Civil Aviation Property Management Limited (“XJCAPM”) and 
XJCAPM used to be the subsidiary of the Company. During the year of 2016, a third party non-controlling interests holder of 
XJCAPM injected capital amounting to RMB73 million to XJCAPM. This diluted the Company’s interest in XJCAPM from 51.84% 
to 42.80%. XJCAPM became an associate of the Company since December 2016. Details are as follows:

Assets deemed disposed of:

Property, plant and equipment
Other non-current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Other current assets
Trade and other payables
Other current liabilities
Non-current liabilities

Net identifiable assets
Non-controlling interests in the former subsidiary

Fair value of the remaining 42.80% equity interests

Net gain on deemed disposal and losing control

Net cash outflow from the deemed disposal

Note

20

Net book value 
as of the deemed 
disposal date
RMB million

153
15
5
67
15
(32)
(48)
(2)

173
(83)

90
180

90

67

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
190

24  Subsidiaries (Continued)
(b)  Material non-controlling interests

As at 31 December 2016, the balance of total non-controlling interests is RMB11,520 million, of which RMB7,623 million 
is for Xiamen Airlines. The rest of non-controlling interests are not individually material.

Set  out  below  are  the  summarised  financial  information  for  Xiamen  Airlines  that  has  non-controlling  interests  that  are 
material to the Group.

Non-controlling interests percentage

Current assets
Non-current assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Net assets

Revenue
Profit for the year
Total comprehensive income
Dividend paid to non-controlling interests

Net cash generated from operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities

The information above is the amount before inter-company eliminations.

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

45%

45%

2,386
41,689
(13,739)
(13,997)
16,339

21,874
1,223
1,500
–

4,510
(7,776)
2,764

2,435
35,628
(12,148)
(11,336)
14,579

19,915
1,170
1,165
–

4,412
(3,521)
(3,296)

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
191

25 

Interest in associates

Share of net assets

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,590

1,995

All the Group’s associates are unlisted without quoted market price. The particulars of the Group’s principal associates 
as at 31 December 2016 are as follows:

Place of 
establishment/
operation

Southern Airlines Group Finance Co.,Ltd 

PRC

(“SA Finance”)

Sichuan Airlines Co.,Ltd (“Sichuan 

PRC

Airlines”)

Southern Airlines Culture and Media Co., 

PRC

Ltd. (“SACM”)

Group’s 
effective 
interest

33.98%

39%

40%

Xinjiang Civil Aviation Property 

PRC

42.80%

42.80%

Management Limited (Note 24(a)(vi))

There is no associate that is individually material to the Group.

Proportion of ownership 
interest held by

Proportion of 
voting rights held 

The Company

Subsidiaries

by the Group Principal activity

21.09%

12.89%

33.98% Provision of Airlines 
financial services

39% Airlines transportation

40% Advertising services

42.80% Property management

39%

40%

–

–

–

The Group has interests in a number of individually immaterial associates that are accounted for using the equity method. 
The aggregate financial information of these associates is summarized as following:

Aggregate carrying amount of individually immaterial associates
Aggregate amounts of the Group’s share of:
Profit from continuing operations
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,590

1,995

509
(2)

507

460
(7)

453

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
192

26 

Interest in joint ventures

Share of net assets

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,522

1,440

All  the  Group’s  joint  ventures  are  unlisted  without  quoted  market  price.  The  particulars  of  the  Group’s  principal  joint 
ventures as at 31 December 2016 are as follows:

Place of 
establishment/
operation

Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance 

PRC

Engineering Co.,Ltd (“GAMECO”)

Zhuhai Xiang Yi Aviation Technology 

PRC

Company Limited (“Zhuhai Xiang Yi”)

Guangzhou China Southern Zhongmian 

PRC

Dutyfree Store Co., Limited

Group’s 
effective 
interest

50%

51%

50%

50%

51%

50%

China Southern West Australian Flying 
College Pty Limited (“Flying College”)

Australia

48.12%

48.12%

There is no joint venture that is individually material to the Group.

Proportion of ownership 
interest held by

Proportion of 
voting rights held 

The Company

Subsidiaries

by the Group Principal activity

–

–

–

–

50% Aircraft repair and 

maintenance services

50% Flight simulation services

50% Sales of duty free goods 

in flight

50% Pilot training services

The  Group  has  interest  in  a  number  of  individually  immaterial  joint  ventures  that  are  accounted  for  using  the  equity 
method. The aggregate financial information of these joint ventures is summarized as following:

Aggregate carrying amount of individually immaterial joint ventures
Aggregate amounts of the Group’s share of:
Profit from continuing operations and total comprehensive income

27  Other investments in equity securities

Unlisted equity securities, at cost

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,522

102

1,440

108

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

103

136

Dividend  income  from  unlisted  equity  securities  of  the  Group  amounted  to  RMB1  million  during  the  year  ended  31 
December 2016 (2015: RMB10 million).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28  Available-for-sale financial assets

Available-for-sale financial assets

– Listed shares
– Non-tradable shares

193

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

88
411

499

104
–

104

Dividend income from available-for-sale financial assets of the Group amounted to RMB13 million during the year ended 
31 December 2016 (2015: RMB3 million).

29  Derivative financial instruments

Interest rate swaps

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

21

13

In 2015, the Company entered into interest rate swaps to mitigate its cash flow interest rate risk. The interest rate swaps 
allow the Company to pay at fixed rate from 1.64% to 1.72% to receive LIBOR. The notional principal of the outstanding 
interest rate swap contracts as at 31 December 2016 amounted to USD527 million (2015: USD581 million).

30  Deferred tax assets/(liabilities)
(a)  The analysis of deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities is as follows:

Net deferred tax assets recognised in the consolidated statement  

of financial position:
– Deferred tax asset to be utilized after 12 months
– Deferred tax asset to be utilized within 12 months

Net deferred tax liabilities recognised in the consolidated statement  

of financial position:
– Deferred tax liability to be realized after 12 months

Net deferred tax assets

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

511
1,174

1,685

(841)

844

525
862

1,387

(938)

449

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
194

30  Deferred tax assets/(liabilities) (Continued)
(b)  Movements of net deferred tax assets are as follows:

(Charged)/
credited to 
consolidated 
income 
statement
RMB million

Charged to 
other 
comprehensive 
income
RMB million

At the end 
of the year
RMB million

At the beginning 
of the year
RMB million

751
472
82
201
62

1,568

(384)

(687)

(3)

(20)
(25)

(1,119)

449

314
33
5
(27)
24

349

123

28

–

–
(13)

138

487

–
–
–
–
–

–

–

–

(2)

(90)
–

(92)

(92)

1,065
505
87
174
86

1,917

(261)

(659)

(5)

(110)
(38)

(1,073)

844

For the year ended 31 December 2016
Deferred tax assets:
Accrued expenses
Provision for major overhauls
Deferred revenue
Provision for impairment losses
Others

Deferred tax liabilities:
Provision for major overhauls
Depreciation allowances under tax in excess of 
the related depreciation under accounting

Change in fair value of derivative financial 

instruments

Change in fair value of available-for-sale equity 

securities

Others

Net deferred tax assets

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
195

30  Deferred tax assets/(liabilities) (Continued)
(b)  Movements of net deferred tax assets are as follows: (Continued)

(Charged)/
credited to 
consolidated 
income 
statement
RMB million

Charged to 
other 
comprehensive 
income
RMB million

At the end 
of the year
RMB million

At the beginning 
of the year
RMB million

561
296
76
235
82

1,250

(363)

(689)

–

(20)
(85)

(1,157)

93

190
176
6
(34)
(20)

318

(21)

2

–

–
60

41

359

–
–
–
–
–

–

–

–

(3)

–
–

(3)

(3)

751
472
82
201
62

1,568

(384)

(687)

(3)

(20)
(25)

(1,119)

449

For the year ended 31 December 2015
Deferred tax assets:
Accrued expenses
Provision for major overhauls
Deferred revenue
Provision for impairment losses
Others

Deferred tax liabilities:
Provision for major overhauls
Depreciation allowances under tax in excess of 
the related depreciation under accounting

Change in fair value of derivative financial 

instruments

Change in fair value of available-for-sale equity 

securities

Others

Net deferred tax assets

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
196

30  Deferred tax assets/(liabilities) (Continued)
(c)  Deferred tax assets not recognised

Tax losses in the PRC are available for carrying forward to set off future assessable income for a maximum period of 
five years. As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s unused tax losses of RMB704 million (2015: RMB843 million) have not 
been recognised as deferred tax assets, as it was determined by management that it is not probable that future taxable 
profits against which the losses can be utilised will be available before they expire. The expiry dates of unrecognised 
unused tax losses are analysed as follows:

Expiring in:
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

–
200
214
194
–
96

704

230
200
214
194
5
–

843

As  at  31  December  2016,  the  Group’s  other  deductible  temporary  differences  amounting  to  RMB626  million  (2015: 
RMB371  million)  have  not  been  recognised  as  deferred  tax  assets  as  it  was  determined  by  management  that  it  is 
not  probable  that  future  taxable  profits  will  be  available  for  these  deductible  temporary  differences  to  reverse  in  the 
foreseeable future.

31  Other assets

Prepayment 
for exclusive 
use right of an 
airport terminal
RMB million

Software
RMB million

Leasehold 
improvement
RMB million

Others
RMB million

Total
RMB million

250
–

–
–
(10)

240

240
–

–
–
(10)

230

187
29

106
–
(75)

247

247
4

91
(2)
(85)

255

137
3

17
–
(39)

118

118
5

36
–
(40)

119

346
7

–
(31)
(39)

283

283
268

1
(26)
(122)

404

920
39

123
(31)
(163)

888

888
277

128
(28)
(257)

1,008

At 1 January 2015
Additions
Transferred from construction in progress  

(Note 21)

Disposal
Amortisation for the year

At 31 December 2015

At 1 January 2016
Additions
Transferred from construction in progress  

(Note 21)

Disposal
Amortisation for the year

At 31 December 2016

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
32 

Inventories

Consumable spare parts and maintenance materials
Other supplies

Less: impairment

Impairment of inventory is shown as below:

At 1 January
Provision for impairment of inventories
Provision written off in relation to disposal of inventories

At 31 December

33  Trade receivables

Trade receivables
Less: allowance for doubtful debts

(a)  Ageing analysis

197

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,534
198

1,732

(144)

1,588

1,519
197

1,716

(110)

1,606

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

110
44
(10)

144

104
13
(7)

110

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

3,026
(37)

2,989

2,613
(33)

2,580

Credit  terms  granted  by  the  Group  to  sales  agents  and  other  customers  generally  range  from  one  to  three  months. 
Ageing analysis of trade receivables based on transaction date is set out below:

Within 1 month
More than 1 month but less than 3 months
More than 3 months but less than 12 months
More than 1 year

Less: allowance for doubtful debts

All of the trade receivables are expected to be recovered within one year.

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,536
321
142
27

3,026
(37)

2,989

2,157
383
30
43

2,613
(33)

2,580

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
198

33  Trade receivables (Continued)
Impairment of trade receivables
(b) 

(i) 

Impairment  loss  in  respect  of  trade  receivables  is  recorded  using  an  allowance  account  unless  the  Group  is 
satisfied  that  recovery  of  the  amount  is  remote,  in  which  case  the  impairment  loss  is  written  off  against  trade 
receivables directly (Note 2(l)(i)).

The movements in the allowance for doubtful debts during the year are as follows:

At 1 January
Impairment loss recognised
Impairment loss written back
Uncollectible amounts written off

At 31 December

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

33
14
(1)
(9)

37

33
4
–
(4)

33

(ii) 

As  at  31  December  2016,  trade  receivables  of  RMB31  million  (2015:  RMB47  million)  were  past  due  but  not 
impaired. These relate to a number of independent customers for whom there is no significant financial difficulty 
and based on past experience, the overdue amounts can be recovered.

The ageing analysis of these trade receivables is as follows:

3 to 12 months
Over 12 months

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

26
5

31

19
28

47

(iii) 

As at 31 December 2016, trade receivables of RMB50 million (2015: RMB48 million) were impaired. The amount 
of the provision was RMB37 million as at 31 December 2016 (2015: RMB33 million). The impaired receivables 
mainly relate to customers which are in unexpectedly difficult economic situations. It was assessed that a portion 
of the receivables is expected to be recovered. The ageing of these receivables is as follows:

3 to 12 months
Over 12 months

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

28
22

50

30
18

48

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
199

33  Trade receivables (Continued)
(c)  Trade receivables that are not impaired

The  ageing  analysis  of  trade  receivables  that  are  neither  individually  nor  collectively  considered  to  be  impaired  is  as 
follows:

Neither past due nor impaired

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,945

2,518

Trade receivables that were neither past due nor impaired relate to customers for whom there was no recent history of 
default.

(d)  Trade receivables by currencies

The carrying amounts of the Group’s trade receivables are denominated in the following currencies:

RMB
USD
Euro
Australian Dollar
Taiwan Dollar
UK Pound
Other currencies

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,303
268
129
53
40
23
210

3,026

2,016
218
129
49
33
28
140

2,613

As at 31 December 2016, the fair value of trade receivables approximate its carrying amount.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
200

34  Other receivables

VAT recoverable
Rebate receivables on aircraft acquisitions
Term deposit (Note)
Deposits for aircraft purchase
Interest receivables
Others

Less: allowance for doubtful debts

Less:  non-current portion of term deposit recognised  

  as non-current assets (Note)

Current portion of other receivables

Note:

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,404
749
568
13
33
623

3,390
(3)

3,387

–

3,387

1,596
901
761
–
66
702

4,026
(2)

4,024

(304)

3,720

As at 31 December 2016, the balance represents the term deposit amounting to RMB568 million at bank with maturity over 3 months 
at acquisition (2015: RMB761 million). Term deposit with maturity over 1 year amounting to RMB304 million is classified as non-current 
asset  as  at  31  December  2015.  The  weighted  average  annualised  interest  rate  of  term  deposit  as  at  31  December  2016  is  3.22% 
(2015: 3.26%).

As at 31 December 2016, the fair value of other receivables approximates its carrying amount.

35  Cash and cash equivalents
(a)  Cash and cash equivalents comprise:

Deposits in banks and other financial institutions
Cash at bank and on hand

Cash and cash equivalents in the consolidated statement  

of financial position

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

26
4,126

4,152

98
4,462

4,560

As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s deposits with SA Finance, which is a qualified financial institution, amounted to 
RMB3,759 million (2015: RMB2,934 million) (Note 49(d)(ii)).

As at 31 December 2016, the fair value of cash and cash equivalents approximate its carrying amount.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
201

35  Cash and cash equivalents (Continued)
(a)  Cash and cash equivalents comprise: (Continued)

The carrying amounts of the Group’s cash and cash equivalents are denominated in the following currencies:

RMB
USD
Euro
Japanese Yen
Hong Kong Dollars
Others

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

3,494
472
31
15
13
127

4,152

3,756
587
69
15
12
121

4,560

(b)  Reconciliation of profit before income tax to cash generated from operating activities:

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

13
13
13
20
25
26

15
24(a)(vi)

16

27 & 28

Profit before income tax
Depreciation charges
Other amortisation
Amortisation of deferred benefits and gains
Impairment losses on property, plant, equipment
Share of associates’ results
Share of joint ventures’ results
Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment and 

construction in progress

Gain on deemed disposal of equity interest in a subsidiary
Interest income
Interest expense
Dividend income from other investments in equity securities and 

available-for-sale financial assets

Exchange losses, net
Decrease in inventories
(Increase)/decrease in trade receivables
Decrease in other receivables
Increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets
Increase/(decrease) in net amounts due to related companies
(Decrease)/increase in trade payables
Increase in sales in advance of carriage
Increase in accrued expenses
Decrease in other liabilities
Increase/(decrease) in deferred revenue
Increase in provision for major overhauls
Decrease in provision for early retirement benefits
(Decrease)/increase in deferred benefits and gains

7,661
12,418
332
(131)
71
(509)
(102)

(557)
(90)
(89)
2,465

(14)
3,368
18
(409)
637
(224)
186
(597)
1,289
2,066
(186)
86
194
(7)
(195)

6,118
11,766
227
(148)
90
(460)
(108)

(312)
–
(253)
2,188

(13)
5,516
55
103
418
(184)
(153)
843
1,030
695
(277)
(75)
630
(20)
181

Cash generated from operating activities

27,681

27,857

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
202

36  Borrowings
(a)  As at 31 December 2016, borrowings are analysed as follows:

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

Non-current
Long-term bank borrowings
– secured (Note (i) & (ii))
– unsecured

Corporate Bond

–unsecured (Note (iii))

Medium-term notes

–unsecured (Note (iv))

Current
Current portion of long-term bank borrowings

– secured (Note (i) & (ii))
– unsecured

Short-term bank borrowings

– unsecured

Ultra short-term financing bills

– unsecured (Note (v))

Total borrowings

The borrowings are repayable:
Within one year
In the second year
In the third to fifth year inclusive
After the fifth year

Total borrowings

755
314

1,069

13,000

4,689

18,758

220
345

4,195

21,986

26,746

45,504

26,746
440
18,260
58

45,504

7,819
5,065

12,884

3,000

–

15,884

1,696
823

19,483

8,000

30,002

45,886

30,002
6,774
8,381
729

45,886

Notes:

(i) 

(ii) 

(iii) 

As at 31 December 2016, bank borrowings of the Group totalling RMB660 million (2015: RMB9,100 million) were secured by 
mortgages over certain of the Group’s aircraft with aggregate carrying amounts of RMB1,443 million (2015: RMB15,814 million).

As at 31 December 2016, bank borrowings of the Group amounting to RMB315 million (2015: RMB415 million) were secured 
by certain land use rights of RMB79 million (2015: RMB66 million) and investment properties of RMB34 million (2015: RMB50 
million).

The Group issued corporate bonds with aggregate nominal value of RMB3,000 million on 20 November 2015 at a bond rate 
of 3.63%. The corporate bonds mature in five years. The Company will be entitled at its option to adjust its bond rate and the 
investors will be entitled to request the Company to redeem all or a portion of the bonds after three years of the issue date.

The Group issued corporate bonds with aggregate nominal value of RMB5,000 million on 3 March 2016 at a bond rate of 2.97%. 
The corporate bonds mature in three years.

The Group issued corporate bonds with aggregate nominal value of RMB5,000 million on 25 May 2016 at a bond rate of 3.12%. 
The corporate bonds mature in five years. The Company will be entitled at its option to adjust its bond rate and the investors 
will be entitled to request the Company to redeem all or a portion of the bonds after three years of the issue date.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
203

36  Borrowings (Continued)
(a)  As at 31 December 2016, borrowings are analysed as follows (Continued):

Notes (Continued):

(iv) 

Xiamen Airlines issued medium-term notes with aggregate nominal value of RMB1,300 million on 15 August 2016 and 16 August 
2016 at an interest rate of 2.97%. The medium-term notes mature in three years.

Xiamen Airlines issued medium-term notes with aggregate nominal value of RMB1,600 million on 20 October 2016 at an interest 
rate of 3.11%. The medium-term notes mature in five years.

Xiamen  Airlines  issued  medium-term  notes  with  aggregate  nominal  value  of  RMB1,800  million  on  21  November  2016  at  an 
interest rate of 3.38%. The medium-term notes mature in three years.

(v) 

As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s outstanding ultra-short-term financing bills are of interest rates ranging from 2.49% to 
3.71% per annum and with original maturity ranging from 88 days to 270 days.

(b)  As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s weighted average interest rates on short-term borrowings were 3.92% per annum 

(2015: 3.66% per annum).

(c)  Details of borrowings with original maturity over one year are as follows:

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

RMB denominated loans
Fixed interest rate at 1.20% per annum as at 31 December 2016, with 

maturities through 2027

Corporate Bond – Fixed bond rate at 2.97%~3.63%
Medium-term notes- Fixed interest rate at 2.97%~3.38%
Floating interest rates 90%, 95% of benchmark interest rate (stipulated by 

PBOC) as at 31 December 2016, with maturities through 2023

USD denominated loans
Floating interest rates ranging from one-month LIBOR + 1.20% to one-

month LIBOR + 2.20% per annum as at 31 December 2015

Floating interest rates ranging from three-month LIBOR + 0.59% to three-

month LIBOR + 2.80% per annum as at 31 December 2015

Floating interest rates at six-month LIBOR + 0.45% to six-month LIBOR + 

2.55% per annum as at 31 December 2015

Floating interest rates at three-month LIBOR + 2.1% per annum as at 31 

December 2016, with maturities through 2018

Less: loans due within one year classified as current liabilities

20
13,000
4,689

1,406

–

–

–

208

19,323
(565)

18,758

20
3,000
–

783

1,097

10,327

3,176

–

18,403
(2,519)

15,884

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
204

36  Borrowings (Continued)
(d)  The carrying amounts of the borrowings are denominated in the following currencies:

RMB
USD
Euro

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

45,296
208
–

45,504

30,145
15,110
631

45,886

The Group has certain borrowings as well as significant obligations under finance leases (Note 37) which are denominated 
in USD as at 31 December 2016. The net exchange loss of RMB3,276 million for the year ended 31 December 2016 
(2015: net exchange loss of RMB5,953 million) was mainly attributable to the exchange loss arising from translation of 
borrowings balances and finance lease obligations denominated in USD.

(e)  As at 31 December 2016, entrusted loans from CSAHC via SA Finance to the Group amounted to RMB105 million (2015: 

RMB105 million) (Note 49(d)(i)).

(f) 

As at 31 December 2016, the fair value of borrowings approximate their carrying amount. The fair value is within level 
2 of the fair value hierarchy.

(g)  Certain  of  the  Group’s  banking  facilities  are  subject  to  the  fulfilment  of  covenants  relating  to  certain  of  the  Group’s 
balance  sheet  ratios,  as  are  commonly  found  in  lending  arrangements  with  financial  institutions.  If  the  Group  were  to 
breach the covenants, the drawn down facilities would become payable on demand. The Group regularly monitors its 
compliance with these covenants. Further details of the Group’s management of liquidity risk are set out in Note 4(a). 
As at 31 December 2016 and 2015 none of the covenants relating to drawn down facilities had been breached.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
205

37  Obligations under finance leases

The Group has commitments under finance lease agreements in respect of aircraft and related equipment. The majority 
of  these  leases  have  terms  of  10  to  15  years  expiring  during  the  years  2017  to  2030.  The  Group  has  made  careful 
assessment on the classification of leased aircraft pursuant to IAS 17 and believes all leased aircraft classified as finance 
lease meet one or more of the criteria as set out in IAS 17 that would lead to a lease being classified as a finance lease 
(i.e. the lease transfers ownership of the asset to the lessee by the end of the lease term; the lessee has the option to 
purchase the asset at a price that is expected to be sufficiently lower than the fair value at the date the option becomes 
exercisable for it to be reasonably certain, at the inception of the lease, that the option will be exercised; at the inception 
of the lease the present value of the minimum lease payments amounts to at least substantially all of the fair value of 
the leased asset).

As at 31 December 2016, future payments under these finance leases are as follows:

Present 
value of the 
minimum 
lease 
payments
RMB million

2016

Total 
minimum 
lease 
payments
RMB million

10,663
8,683
24,795
27,247

71,388

8,695
6,973
21,583
24,971

62,222

(8,695)

53,527

Interest
RMB million

1,968
1,710
3,212
2,276

9,166

Present 
value of the 
minimum 
lease 
payments
RMB million

2015

Total 
minimum 
lease 
payments
RMB million

7,864
8,613
19,515
26,731

62,723

6,416
7,369
16,818
25,221

55,824

(6,416)

49,408

Interest
RMB million

1,448
1,244
2,697
1,510

6,899

Within 1 year
After 1 year but within 2 years
After 2 years but within 5 years
After 5 years

Less: balance due within one year 

classified as current liabilities

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
206

37  Obligations under finance leases (Continued)

Details of obligations under finance leases are as follows:

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

USD denominated obligations
Fixed interest rates ranging from 2.09% to 6.01% per annum as at  

31 December 2016

9,761

9,570

Floating interest rates ranging from three-month LIBOR + 0.18% to three-

month LIBOR + 3.30% per annum as at 31 December 2016

15,878

21,168

Floating interest rates ranging from six-month LIBOR + 0.03%  

to six-month LIBOR + 3.30% per annum as at 31 December 2016

15,720

16,744

Singapore Dollars denominated obligations
Floating interest rate at six-month SIBOR + 1.44% per annum as at  

31 December 2016

341

368

Japanese Yen denominated obligations
Floating interest rate at three-month TIBOR + 0.75% to three-month  

TIBOR + 1.90% per annum as at 31 December 2016

1,502

1,524

Floating interest rate at six-month TIBOR + 3.00% per annum as at  

31 December 2016

RMB denominated obligations
Floating interest rate at 130% of five-year RMB loan benchmark interest 
rate announced by the PBOC per annum as at 31 December 2015

Floating interest rate ranging from 84% to 106.5% of five-year RMB loan 
benchmark interest rate announced by the PBOC per annum as at  
31 December 2016

Floating interest rate at three-month CHN HIBOR + 0.38%

Euro denominated obligations
Floating interest rate ranging from three-month EURIBOR + 0.32% to 

332

–

13,852

503

325

369

677

551

three-month EURIBOR + 2.70% per annum as at 31 December 2016

2,785

2,951

Floating interest rate ranging from six-month EURIBOR + 1.45% to  
six-month EURIBOR + 1.80% per annum as at 31 December 2016

1,548

62,222

1,577

55,824

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
207

37  Obligations under finance leases (Continued)

As at 31 December 2016, certain of the Group’s aircraft with carrying amounts of RMB76,875 million (2015: RMB72,246 
million) secured finance lease obligations totaling RMB62,222 million (2015: RMB55,824 million).

As at 31 December 2016, the fair value of obligation under finance leases approximate their carrying amount. The fair 
value is within level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

38  Trade payables

Ageing analysis of trade payables based on transaction date is set out below:

Within 1 month
More than 1 month but less than 3 months
More than 3 months but less than 6 months
More than 6 months but less than 1 year
More than 1 year

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

612
529
484
173
105

735
504
843
314
104

1,903

2,500

As at 31 December 2016, the fair value of trade payables approximate their carrying amounts.

The carrying amounts of the Group’s trade payables are denominated in the following currencies:

RMB
USD
Others

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,809
85
9

1,903

2,418
69
13

2,500

39  Deferred revenue

Deferred revenue represents the unredeemed credits under the frequent flyer award programme.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
208

40   Amounts due from/to related companies
(a)  Amounts due from related companies

CSAHC and its affiliates
Associates
Joint ventures

Note

49(c)

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

7
15
76

98

21
226
86

333

The amounts due from related companies are unsecured, interest free and have no fixed terms of repayment. They are 
expected to be recovered within one year.

(b)  Amounts due to related companies

CSAHC and its affiliates
A joint venture of CSAHC
An associate
Joint ventures
Other related companies

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

20
1
4
76
2

103

59
18
13
60
2

152

49(c)

The amounts due to related companies are unsecured, interest free and have no fixed terms of repayment. They are 
expected to be settled within one year.

41  Accrued expenses

Repairs and maintenance
Jet fuel costs
Salaries and welfare
Landing and navigation fees
Computer reservation services
Provision for major overhauls (Note 43)
Interest expense
Air catering expenses
Provision for early retirement benefits (Note 44)
Others

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

5,290
1,530
2,851
2,327
436
768
844
504
7
590

5,179
1,179
2,434
2,003
340
470
385
307
12
772

15,147

13,081

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
42   Other liabilities

Civil Aviation Development Fund and airport tax payable
Payable for purchase of property, plant and equipment
Sales agent deposits
Other taxes payable
Deposit received for chartered flights
Payable due to the former shareholder of a subsidiary
Others

209

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,559
900
430
508
216
–
1,359

4,972

1,335
767
384
395
103
658
1,516

5,158

As at 31 December 2016, the fair value of the balance approximate their carrying amount.

43  Provision for major overhauls

Details of provision for major overhauls in respect of aircraft held under operating leases are as follows:

At 1 January
Additional provision
Utilisation

At 31 December
Less: current portion (Note 41)

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2,365
1,020
(528)

2,857
(768)

2,089

1,735
823
(193)

2,365
(470)

1,895

44  Provision for early retirement benefits

Details of provision for early retirement benefits in respect of obligations to early retired employees are as follows:

At 1 January
Provision for the year (Note 14)
Financial cost (Note 16)
Payments made during the year

At 31 December
Less: current portion (Note 41)

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

25
3
1
(16)

13
(7)

6

45
3
2
(25)

25
(12)

13

The Group has implemented an early retirement plan for certain employees. The benefits of the early retirement plan are 
calculated based on factors including the remaining number of years of service from the date of early retirement to the 
normal retirement date and the salary amount on the date of early retirement of the employees. The present value of the 
future cash flows expected to be required to settle the obligations is recognised as provision for early retirement benefits.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
210

45   Deferred benefits and gains

Leases rebates (Note (i))
Maintenance rebates (Note (ii))
Gains relating to sale and leaseback (Note (iii))
Government grants
Others

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

77
419
51
127
17

691

145
455
77
190
19

886

Notes:

(i) 

(ii) 

(iii) 

The Company was granted rebates by the lessors under certain lease arrangements when it fulfilled certain requirements. The 
rebates are deferred and amortised using the straight line method over the remaining lease terms.

The Company was granted rebates by the engine suppliers under certain arrangements when it fulfilled certain requirements. 
The rebates are deferred and amortised over the beneficial period.

The  Company  entered  into  sale  and  leaseback  transactions  with  certain  third  parties  under  operating  leases.  The  gains  are 
deferred and amortised over the lease terms of the aircraft.

46   Share capital

Registered, issued and paid up capital:
4,039,228,665 domestic state-owned shares of RMB1.00 each  

(2015: 4,039,228,665 shares of RMB1.00 each)

2,983,421,335 A shares of RMB1.00 each  

(2015: 2,983,421,335 shares of RMB1.00 each)

2,794,917,000 H shares of RMB1.00 each  

(2015: 2,794,917,000 shares of RMB1.00 each)

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

4,039

2,984

2,795

9,818

4,039

2,984

2,795

9,818

All the domestic state-owned, H and A shares rank pari passu in all material respects.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
47  Reserves

Share premium
At 1 January and 31 December

Fair value reserve
At 1 January
Change in fair value of available-for-sale equity securities
Change in fair value of derivative financial instruments

At 31 December

Statutory and discretionary surplus reserve
At 1 January
Appropriations to reserves (Note (a))

At 31 December

Other reserve
At 1 January
Share of an associate’s reserves movement
Acquisition of non-controlling interests in a subsidiary

At 31 December

Retained profits
At 1 January
Profit for the year
Appropriations to reserves (Note (a))
Dividends approved in respect of the previous year

At 31 December

Total

211

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

14,131

14,131

55
148
6

209

1,552
405

1,957

123
(2)
–

121

13,366
5,044
(405)
(785)

17,220

33,638

44
1
10

55

1,306
246

1,552

180
(5)
(52)

123

10,269
3,736
(246)
(393)

13,366

29,227

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
212

47   Reserves (Continued)
(a)  Appropriations to reserves

According  to  the  PRC  Company  Law  and  the  Articles  of  Association  of  the  Company  and  certain  of  its  subsidiaries, 
the  Company  and  the  relevant  subsidiaries  are  required  to  transfer  10%  of  their  annual  net  profits  after  taxation,  as 
determined  under  the  PRC  accounting  rules  and  regulations,  to  a  statutory  surplus  reserve  until  the  reserve  balance 
reaches  50%  of  the  registered  capital.  The  transfer  to  this  reserve  must  be  made  before  distribution  of  dividend  to 
shareholders and when there are retained profits at the end of the financial year.

Statutory surplus reserve can be used to offset prior years’ losses, if any, and may be converted into share capital by 
the issue of new shares to shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholding or by increasing the par value of the 
shares currently held by them, provided that the balance after such issue is not less than 25% of the registered capital.

(b)  Dividends

Dividends payable to equity shareholders of the Company attributable to the year:

Final dividend proposed after the end of the reporting year of  

RMB1.0 per 10 ordinary shares (2015: RMB0.8 per 10 ordinary shares) 
(inclusive of applicable tax)

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

982

785

A dividend in respect of the year ended 31 December 2016 of RMB1.0 per 10 shares (inclusive of applicable tax) (2015: 
RMB0.8 per 10 shares (inclusive of applicable tax)), amounting to a total dividend of RMB982 million (2015: RMB785 
million), was proposed by the directors on 30 March 2017. The dividend proposed after the end of the financial year 
has not been recognised as a liability at the end of the financial year.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
213

48   Commitments
(a)  Capital commitments

Capital commitments outstanding as at 31 December 2016 not provided for in the financial statements were as follows:

Commitments in respect of aircraft and flight equipment

– authorised and contracted for

Investment commitments

– authorised and contracted for

– capital contributions for acquisition of interests in associates
– share of capital commitments of a joint venture

– authorised but not contracted for

– share of capital commitments of a joint venture

Commitments for other property, plant and equipment

– authorised and contracted for
– authorised but not contracted for

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

83,532

83,427

170
25

195

19

214

2,297
19,312

21,609

105,355

34
56

90

41

131

2,550
4,183

6,733

90,291

As  at  31  December  2016,  the  approximate  total  future  payments,  including  estimated  amounts  for  price  escalation 
through anticipated delivery dates for aircraft and flight equipment are as follows:

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020 and afterwards

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

–
25,971
24,355
17,878
15,328

83,532

19,074
22,359
18,898
14,309
8,787

83,427

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
214

48   Commitments (Continued)
(b)  Operating lease commitments

As at 31 December 2016, the total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases in respect 
of properties, aircraft and flight equipment are as follows:

Payments due:
Within 1 year
After 1 year but within 5 years
After 5 years

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

7,948
27,140
26,127

61,215

6,560
18,582
10,967

36,109

49   Material related party transactions
(a)  Key management personnel remuneration

Remuneration for key management personnel of the Group, including amounts paid to the Company’s directors (excluding 
independent non-executive directors) and certain of the highest paid employees as disclosed in Note 57, is as follows:

Salaries, wages and welfare
Retirement scheme contributions

Directors and supervisors (Note 57)
Senior management

2016
RMB’000

8,219
1,594

9,813

2016
RMB’000

2,159
7,654

9,813

2015
RMB’000

8,907
1,868

10,775

2015
RMB’000

2,471
8,304

10,775

Total remuneration is included in “staff costs” (Note 14).

(b)  Transactions  with  CSAHC  and  its  affiliates  (the  “CSAHC  Group”),  associates,  joint  ventures 

and other related companies of the Group

The Group provided or received various operational services to or by the CSAHC Group, associates, joint ventures and 
other related companies of the Group during the normal course of its business.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
215

49   Material related party transactions (Continued)
(b)  Transactions  with  CSAHC  and  its  affiliates  (the  “CSAHC  Group”),  associates,  joint  ventures 

and other related companies of the Group (Continued)

Details of the significant transactions carried out by the Group are as follows:

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

Income received from the CSAHC Group
Charter flight and pallet income
Cargo handling income and rental income*
Others

Expenses paid to the CSAHC Group
Cargo handling charges*
Commission expenses*
Air catering supplies expenses*
Repairing charges*
Lease charges for land and buildings*
Handling charges*
Property management fee*
Others

Expenses paid to joint ventures and associates
Repairing charges
Maintenance material purchase expenses
Flight simulation service charges
Training expenses
Ground service expenses
Air catering supplies
Advertising expenses*
Others

Income received from joint ventures and associates
Handling income
Disposal of equipment
Rental income
Entrustment income for advertising media business
Repairing income
Air catering supplies income
Commission income*
Ground service income
Others

Income received from other related company
Air tickets income

Expenses paid to other related company
Advertising expenses
Computer reservation services
Aviation supplies expenses

Acquisition from CSAHC Group
Acquisition of a subsidiary*
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment*

(i)
(i)

(i)
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)

(vii)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
(xi)
(xii)

(v)
(vii)
(viii)
(xii)
(xiii)
(xiii)
(xiv)
(xv)

(xvi)

(xvi)
(xvii)
(xviii)

(v)
(xix)

–
6
1

117
99
124
1,877
193
60
70
14

2,032
41
342
110
120
115
71
3

10
39
37
22
12
23
26
9
4

9

9
523
36

400
56

19
1
2

109
98
100
1,324
193
114
73
6

1,714
29
324
112
119
108
67
4

–
–
37
21
12
23
17
8
3

10

–
515
–

–
–

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
216

49   Material related party transactions (Continued)
(b)  Transactions  with  CSAHC  and  its  affiliates  (the  “CSAHC  Group”),  associates,  joint  ventures 

and other related companies of the Group (Continued)
(i) 

China  Southern  Airlines  Group  Ground  Services  Co.,  Ltd.  (“GSC”),  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  CSAHC,  purchases  cargo 
spaces and charter flights from the Group. In addition, cargo handling income/charges are earned/payable by the Group in 
respect of the cargo handling services with GSC.

Commission is earned by GSC in connection with the air tickets sold by them on behalf of the Group. Commission is calculated 
based on the rates stipulated by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and International Air Transportation Association.

In addition, the Group leased certain equipment to GSC under operating lease agreements.

(ii) 

Shenzhen Air Catering Co., Ltd. (“SACC”), a joint venture of CSAHC.

Air  catering  supplies  income/expenses  are  earned/payable  by  the  Group  in  respect  of  certain  in-flight  meals  and  related 
services with SZ catering.

(iii) 

MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co., Ltd, a joint venture of CSAHC, provides comprehensive maintenance services to the Group.

(iv) 

(v) 

(vi) 

(vii) 

The Group leases certain land and buildings in the PRC from CSAHC Group. The amount represents rental payments for land 
and buildings paid or payable to CSAHC Group.

The Group acquires aircraft, flight equipment and other airlines-related facilities through SAIETC and pays handling charges to 
SAIETC, which used to be a wholly owned subsidiary of CSAHC. In August 2016, the Company acquired 100% equity interests 
in SAIETC from CSAHC at a consideration of approximately RMB400 million. SAIETC became a wholly owned subsidiary of the 
Company since then (Note 24(a)(v)).

SAIETC provides import service to GAMECO and earns handling income.

China  Southern  Airlines  Group  Property  Management  Company  Limited,  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  CSAHC,  provides 
property management services to the Group.

GAMECO and Shenyang Northern Aircraft Maintenance Limited, joint ventures of the Group, provide comprehensive maintenance 
services to the Group.

The Group purchases maintenance material from GAMECO. The Group disposes of equipment to GAMECO.

(viii) 

Zhuhai Xiang Yi, a joint venture of the Group, provides flight simulation services to the Group.

In addition, the Group leased certain flight training facilities and buildings to Zhuhai Xiang Yi under operating lease agreements.

(ix) 

Flying College, a joint venture of the Group, provides training services to the Group.

(x) 

Beijing  Aviation  Ground  Services  Co.,Ltd.,  and  Shenyang  Konggang  Logistic  Company  Limited,  associates  of  the  Group 
provides ground service to the Group.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
217

49   Material related party transactions (Continued)
(b)  Transactions  with  CSAHC  and  its  affiliates  (the  “CSAHC  Group”),  associates,  joint  ventures 

and other related companies of the Group (Continued)
(xi) 

Air  catering  supplies  income/expenses  are  earned/payable  by  the  Group  in  respect  of  certain  in-flight  meals  and  related 
services with Beijing Airport Inflight Kitchen Co.,Ltd., which is an associate of the Group.

(xii) 

SACM, an associate of the Group, provides advertising services to the Group.

In addition, Xiamen Airlines provides certain media resources to Xiamen Airlines Media Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SACM.

(xiii) 

The Group provides air catering services and aircraft repairing services to Sichuan Airlines, an associate of the Group.

(xiv) 

The Group provides certain website resources to SA Finance and Sichuan Airlines for the sales of air insurance.

(xv) 

The Group provides ground services to Shenyang Konggang Logistic Co.,Ltd and Sichuan Airlines, which are associates of 
the Group.

(xvi) 

Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Limited (“the Phoenix Group”) is a related party of the Group as the board chairman of 
the Phoenix Group was appointed as a non-executive director of the Group. It provides advertising services to the Group.

In addition, the Group Sells tickets to the Phoenix Group on market price.

(xvii)  China Travel Sky Holding Company is a related party of the Group as a director of the Group was appointed as the director 

of China Travel Sky Holding Company. It provides computer reservation services to the Group.

(xviii)  The  Chairman  of  Guangdong  Southern  Airlines  Pearl  Aviation  Services  Company  Limited  (“Pearl  Aviation  Services”),  Mr.  Li 

Shao Bin is the executive director of the Company. The Group purchases aviation supplies from Pearl Aviation Services.

(xix) 

The  Group  acquires  properties  from  Citic  Southern  Airlines  Construction  and  Development  Company  Limited,  which  is  an 
associate of CSAHC.

* 

These  related  party  transactions  also  constitute  connected  transactions  or  continuing  connected  transactions  as  defined 
in  Chapter  14A  of  the  Listing  Rules.  The  disclosures  required  by  Chapter  14A  of  the  Listing  Rules  are  provided  in  section 
“CONNECTED TRANSACTION” of the Report of Directors.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
218

49   Material related party transactions (Continued)
(c)  Balances with the CSAHC Group, associates, joint ventures and other related companies of 

the Group

Details of amounts due from/to the CSAHC Group, associates, joint ventures and other related companies of the Group:

Receivables:
The CSAHC Group
Associates
Joint ventures

Payables:
The CSAHC Group
Associates
Joint ventures
Other related companies

Accrued expenses:
The CSAHC Group
Associates
Joint ventures
Other related companies

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

40(a)

Note

40(b)

7
15
76

98

21
226
86

333

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

21
4
76
2

103

77
13
60
2

152

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

1,117
121
864
256

2,358

571
97
931
282

1,881

The amounts due from/to the CSAHC Group, associates, joint ventures and other related companies of the Group are 
unsecured, interest free and have no fixed terms of repayment.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
219

49   Material related party transactions (Continued)
(d)  Loans from and deposits placed with related parties

(i) 

Loans from related parties
At 31 December 2016, loans from SA Finance to the Group amounted to RMB105 million (2015: RMB105 million).

In  2016,  CSAHC,  SA  Finance  and  the  Group  entered  into  an  entrusted  loan  agreement,  pursuant  to  which, 
CSAHC, as the lender, entrusted SA Finance to lend RMB105 million to the Group from 28 April 2016 to 28 April 
2017. The interest rate is 90% of benchmark interest rate stipulated by PBOC per annum.

The unsecured loans are repayable as follows:

Within 1 year

Note

36(e)

2016
RMB million

2016
RMB million

105

105

Interest expense paid on such loans amounted to RMB11 million (2015: RMB4 million) at interest rates 3.92% per 
annum during the year ended 31 December 2016 (2015: 3.92% to 4.14% per annum).

(ii)  Deposits placed with SA Finance

As at 31 December 2016, the Group’s deposits with SA Finance are presented in the table below. The applicable 
interest rates are determined in accordance with the rates published by the PBOC.

Deposits placed with SA Finance

Note

35

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

3,759

2,934

Interest  income  received  on  such  deposits  amounted  to  RMB37  million  during  the  year  ended  31  December 
2016 (2015: RMB70 million).

(e)  Commitments to CSAHC

As at 31 December 2016, the Group had operating lease commitments to CSAHC in respect of lease payments for land 
and buildings of RMB476 million (2015: RMB320 million).

50   Employee benefits plan
(a)  Retirement benefits

Employees of the Group participate in several defined contribution retirement schemes organised separately by the PRC 
municipal  and  provincial  governments  in  regions  where  the  major  operations  of  the  Group  are  located.  The  Group  is 
required to contribute to these schemes at rates ranging from 13% to 20% (2015: 13% to 21%) of salary costs including 
certain allowances. A member of the retirement schemes is entitled to pension benefits from the Local Labour and Social 
Security Bureau upon his/her retirement. The retirement benefit obligations of all retired staff of the Group are assumed 
by these schemes. The Group, at its sole discretion, had made certain welfare subsidy payments to these retirees.

In  2014,  the  Company  and  its  major  subsidiaries  joined  a  new  defined  contribution  retirement  scheme  (“Pension 
Scheme”)  that  was  implemented  by  CSAHC.  The  annual  contribution  to  the  Pension  Scheme  is  based  on  a  fixed 
specified  percentage  of  prior  year’s  annual  wage.  There  will  be  no  further  obligation  beyond  the  annual  contribution 
according to the Pension Scheme. The total contribution into the Pension Scheme in 2016 was approximately RMB486 
million (2015: RMB438 million).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
220

50   Employee benefits plan (Continued)
(b)  Housing benefits

The Group contributes on a monthly basis to housing funds organised by municipal and provincial governments based 
on  certain  percentages  of  the  salaries  of  employees.  The  Group’s  liability  in  respect  of  these  funds  is  limited  to  the 
contributions payable in each year.

The  Group  also  pays  cash  housing  subsidies  on  a  monthly  basis  to  eligible  employees.  The  monthly  cash  housing 
subsidies are charged to income statement.

(c)  Share Appreciation Rights Scheme

On 30 November 2011, the Company’s General Meeting approved the “H Share Appreciation Rights Scheme of China 
Southern Airlines Company Limited” and “Initial Grant under the H Share Appreciation Rights Scheme of China Southern 
Airlines Company Limited” (“the Scheme”).

Under the Scheme, 24,660,000 units of SARs were granted to 118 employees of the Group. No shares will be issued 
under  the  Scheme  and  each  SAR  is  notionally  linked  to  one  existing  H  share  of  the  Company.  Upon  exercise  of  the 
SARs, a recipient will receive an amount of cash equal to the difference between the market share price of the relevant 
H share and the exercise price.

The SARs will have an exercise period of six years from the date of grant. Upon the satisfaction of certain performance 
conditions after the second, third and fourth anniversary of the date of grant, each one third of the SARs will become 
exercisable.

All of the 24,660,000 units of SARs granted by the Company have been expired by the end of 2015.

51   Supplementary information to the consolidated cash flow statement

Non-cash transactions-acquisition of aircraft

During  the  year  ended  31  December  2016,  aircraft  acquired  under  finance  leases  amounted  to  RMB10,487  million 
(2015: RMB11,251 million).

52  Contingent liabilities
(a) 

The  Group  leased  certain  properties  and  buildings  from  CSAHC  which  located  in  Guangzhou,  Wuhan  and  Haikou, 
etc. However, to the knowledge of the Group, such properties and buildings lack adequate documentation evidencing 
CSAHC’s rights thereto.

Pursuant to the indemnification agreement dated 22 May 1997 between the Group and CSAHC, CSAHC has agreed to 
indemnify the Group against any loss or damage arising from any challenge of the Group’s right to use such properties 
and buildings.

In  addition,  as  disclosed  in  Note  20  and  Note  22,  the  Group  is  applying  title  certificates  for  certain  of  the  Group’s 
properties and land use rights certificates for certain properties and parcels of land. The Company is of the opinion that 
the use of and the conduct of operating activities at these properties and these parcels of land are not affected by the 
fact that the Group has not yet obtained the relevant certificates.

(b) 

The Company and its subsidiary, Xiamen Airlines, entered into agreements with certain pilot trainees and certain banks 
to provide guarantees on personal bank loans amounting to RMB696 million (31 December 2015: RMB627 million) that 
can be drawn by the pilot trainees to finance their respective flight training expenses. As at 31 December 2016, total 
personal bank loans of RMB409 million (31 December 2015: RMB454 million), under these guarantees, were drawn down 
from the banks. During the year, the Group paid RMB4 million (2015: RMB4 million) to the banks due to the default of 
payments of certain pilot trainees.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
221

52  Contingent liabilities (Continued)
(c) 

The  Company  is  engaged  in  International  Court  of  Arbitration  proceedings  (“ICC  arbitration  proceedings”)  in  London 
against a lessor SASOF TR-81 AVIATION IRELAND LIMITED, arising out of the redelivery of two Boeing 737 aircraft. The 
lessor has made various claims of approximately USD13 million in the arbitration proceedings relating to the redelivery 
condition  of  the  aircraft,  and  the  Company  has  counterclaimed  against  the  lessor  for  the  recovery  of  approximately 
USD9.8  million.  As  of  the  issuance  date  of  these  financial  statements,  the  hearing  in  the  ICC  arbitration  proceedings 
was complete, but the final award of the Arbitral Tribunal is awaited. The directors are of the opinion that the Company 
cannot  reasonably  predict  the  result  and  potential  financial  impact  of  this  pending  arbitration,  if  any.  Therefore,  no 
provision has been made against this pending arbitration.

(d) 

(e) 

A  claim  was  raised  by  a  construction  company  in  the  Hainan  Province  of  the  PRC  (the  “claimant”)  in  2016  against  a 
wholly-owned subsidiary of CSAHC, the Company and its Sanya Branch for the alleged non-payment of construction fees 
of RMB45 million and the relating interests. The directors are of the opinion that the claims and the civil judgment of the 
first trial are without merit and have instructed its legal advisor to defend the claims vigorously. As of the issuance date 
of these financial statements, the directors consider that given the preliminary status of the second trial, the Company 
cannot reasonably predict the result and potential financial impact of this pending claim, if any. Therefore, no provision 
has been made against this pending claim.

The Company received a claim dated 18 October 2016 from two PRC sales agents located in Guangzhou and Guangxi 
respectively  (the  “claimants”)  against  the  Company  for  the  alleged  breach  of  certain  terms  and  conditions  of  a  flight 
routes cooperative agreement (the “cooperative agreement”). The claimants have made a claim against the Company 
for  a  total  sum  of  approximately  RMB141  million  in  respect  of  the  alleged  non-payment  relating  to  cooperative  sales, 
the refund of the down payments of RMB5.8 million and the relating interests on the above late payment. The directors 
are of the opinion that the claims are without merit and have instructed its legal advisor to defend the claims vigorously. 
As of the issuance date of these financial statements, the directors consider that given the nature of the claims and the 
preliminary status of the proceedings, the Company cannot reasonably predict the result and potential financial impact 
of this pending claim, if any. Therefore, no provision has been made against this pending claim.

53   Immediate and ultimate controlling party

As at 31 December 2016, the Directors of the Company consider the immediate parent and ultimate controlling party of 
the Group to be CSAHC, a state-owned enterprise established in the PRC. CSAHC does not produce financial statements 
available for public use.

54   Non-adjusting events after the financial year end
(a) 

On  27  March  2017,  according  to  the  authorisation  under  the  2015  General  Mandate  and  as  approved  by  the  Board 
of  Directors,  the  Company  entered  into  the  Subscription  Agreement  with  American  Airlines,  Inc.  (the  “Subscriber”), 
pursuant to which the Company has agreed to issue, and the Subscriber has agreed to subscribe for 270,606,272 new 
H Shares of the Company (the “Subscription”), at the subscription price of HK$1,553.28 million, representing HK$5.74 
per subscription share. The Subscription is subject to the approval of relevant authorities.

(b) 

On 30 March 2017, the Directors of the Company proposed a final dividend in respect of the year ended 31 December 
2016. Further details are disclosed in Note 47(b).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016222

55   Company-level statement of financial position

31 December 
2016
RMB million

31 December 
2015
RMB million

Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment, net
Construction in progress
Lease prepayments
Investments in subsidiaries
Interest in associates
Interest in joint ventures
Other investments in equity securities
Derivative financial instruments
Aircraft operating lease deposits
Available-for-sale financial assets
Deferred tax assets
Other assets

Current assets
Inventories
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted bank deposits
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Amounts due from subsidiaries and other related companies

Current liabilities
Borrowings
Current portion of obligations under finance lease
Trade payables
Sales in advance of carriage
Deferred revenue
Current income tax
Amounts due to subsidiaries and other related companies
Accrued expenses
Other liabilities

114,903
15,346
1,291
6,804
648
483
100
21
610
34
1,623
648

142,511

1,036
2,192
1,976
3,120
82
800
179

9,385

19,593
7,336
274
7,167
1,224
583
5,620
12,472
3,435

57,704

112,207
11,704
1,310
5,504
513
482
100
13
619
43
1,331
503

134,329

1,115
2,162
2,620
3,079
102
685
206

9,969

24,028
5,349
466
6,123
964
–
5,335
11,181
3,445

56,891

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
223

55   Company-level statement of financial position (Continued)

Non-current liabilities
Borrowings
Obligations under finance leases
Deferred revenue
Provision for major overhauls
Provision for early retirement benefits
Deferred benefits and gains

Net assets

Capital and reserves
Share capital
Reserves

Total equity

31 December 
2016
RMB million

31 December 
2015
RMB million

Note

13,000
46,300
1,315
1,527
5
542

62,689

31,503

9,818
21,685

31,503

13,216
41,740
1,516
1,468
11
742

58,693

28,714

9,818
18,896

28,714

56

Approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Directors on 30 March 2017.

Wang Chang Shun 
Director  

Tan Wan Geng
Director

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
224

56   Reserves movement of the Company

Share premium
At 1 January and 31 December

Fair value reserve
At 1 January
Change in fair value of available-for-sale equity securities
Change in fair value of derivative financial instruments

At 31 December

Statutory and discretionary surplus reserve
At 1 January
Appropriations to reserves (Note (a))

At 31 December

Other reserve
At 1 January and 31 December

Retained profits
At 1 January
Profit for the year
Appropriations to reserves (Note(a))
Dividends approved in respect of the previous year

At 31 December

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

13,878

13,878

34
(6)
6

34

1,552
405

1,957

146

3,286
3,574
(405)
(785)

5,670

22
2
10

34

1,306
246

1,552

146

1,984
1,941
(246)
(393)

3,286

Total

(a) 

21,685

18,896

Appropriations to reserves
According to the PRC Company Law and the Articles of Association of the Company, the Company is required to transfer 10% 
of its annual net profits after taxation, as determined under the PRC accounting rules and regulations, to a statutory surplus 
reserve  until  the  reserve  balance  reaches  50%  of  the  registered  capital.  The  transfer  to  this  reserve  must  be  made  before 
distribution of dividend to shareholders and when there are retained profits at the end of the financial year.

Statutory surplus reserve can be used to offset prior years’ losses, if any, and may be converted into share capital by the issue 
of new shares to shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholding or by increasing the par value of the shares currently 
held by them, provided that the balance after such issue is not less than 25% of the registered capital.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
225

57  Benefits and interests of directors and supervisors
(a)  Directors’ and supervisors’ emoluments

The remuneration of every director and supervisor for the year ended 31 December 2016 is set out below:

Emoluments paid or receivable in respect of a person’s services as a director or supervisor, whether of the Company 
or its subsidiary undertaking:

Emoluments 
paid or 
receivable 
in respect of 
director’s or 
supervisor’s 
other services 
in connection 
with the 
management 
of the affairs 
of the Company 
or its subsidiary 
undertaking
RMB’000

Remunerations 
paid or 
receivable 
in respect 
of accepting 
office as 
director or 
supervisor
RMB’000

Employer’s 
contribution 
to a 
retirement 
benefit 
scheme
RMB’000

Directors’ 
fees
RMB’000

Salaries, 
wages and 
welfare
RMB’000

Housing 
allowance
RMB’000

–
–
–

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

150
150
150
150
150

–
–
–

–
–
–
639

–
711
–
–
413

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
130

–
133
–
–
133

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

Total
RMB’000

–
–
–

–
–
–
769

–
844
–
–
546

150
150
150
150
150

Name

Non-executive directors
Wang Chang Shun  
(Note (i) & (vi))
Yuan Xin An (Note (i))
Yang Li Hua (Note (i))

Executive directors
Tan Wan Geng (Note (i))
Zhang Zi Fang (Note (i))
Li Shao Bin

Supervisors
Pan Fu (Note (i))
Li Jia Shi
Zhang Wei (Note (i))
Yang Yi Hua (Note (v))
Wu De Ming

Independent  

non-executive directors

Ning Xiang Dong
Liu Chang Le
Tan Jin Song
Guo Wei (Note (iv))
Jiao Shu Ge (Note (iv))

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
226

57   Benefits and interests of directors and supervisors (Continued)
(a)  Directors’ and supervisors’ emoluments (Continued)

For the year ended 31 December 2015:

Emoluments paid or receivable in respect of a person’s services as a director or supervisor, whether of the Company 
or its subsidiary undertaking:

Emoluments 
paid or 
receivable 
in respect of 
director’s or 
supervisor’s 
other services 
in connection 
with the 
management 
of the affairs 
of the Company 
or its subsidiary 
undertaking
RMB’000

Remunerations 
paid or 
receivable 
in respect of 
accepting 
office as 
director or 
supervisor
RMB’000

Employer’s 
contribution 
to a 
retirement 
benefit 
scheme
RMB’000

Directors’ 
fees
RMB’000

Salaries, 
wages and 
welfare
RMB’000

Housing 
allowance
RMB’000

–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

150
150
150
75
75
75

–
–
–

–
–
636

–
636
–
240
451

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
137

–
139
–
92
140

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

Total
RMB’000

–
–
–

–
–
773

–
775
–
332
591

150
150
150
75
75
75

Name

Non-executive directors
Wang Quan Hua  
(Note (i) & (ii))
Yuan Xin An (Note (i))
Yang Li Hua (Note (i))

Executive directors
Tan Wan Geng (Note (i))
Zhang Zi Fang (Note (i))
Li Shao Bin

Supervisors
Pan Fu (Note (i))
Li Jia Shi
Zhang Wei (Note (i))
Yang Yi Hua (Note (v))
Wu De Ming

Independent  

non-executive directors

Ning Xiang Dong
Liu Chang Le
Tan Jin Song
Wei Jin Cai (Note (iii))
Guo Wei (Note (iv))
Jiao Shu Ge (Note (iv))

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
227

57   Benefits and interests of directors and supervisors (Continued)
(a)  Directors’ and supervisors’ emoluments (Continued)

Note:

(i) 

These directors or supervisors did not receive any remuneration for their services in the capacity of the directors or supervisors 
of the Company. They also held management positions in CSAHC and their salaries were borne by CSAHC.

(ii) 

Resigned on 25 March 2015.

(iii) 

Resigned on 30 June 2015.

(iv) 

Appointed on 30 June 2015.

(v) 

Ms. Yang Yi Hua retired in 2015 September, while still served as supervisor for the years ended 31 December 2015 and 31 
December  2016.  Ms.  Yang  Yi  Hua  did  not  receive  any  remuneration  for  her  service  in  the  capacity  of  the  supervisor  of  the 
Company since 2015 September.

(vi) 

Appointed on 27 May 2016.

(b)  Directors’ and supervisors’ termination benefits

None of the directors and supervisors received or will receive any termination benefits for the year ended 31 December 
2016 (2015: Nil).

(c)  Consideration provided to third parties for making available directors’ and supervisors’ services

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Group did not pay consideration to any third parties for making available 
directors’ and supervisors’ services (2015: Nil).

(d) 

Information about loans, quasi-loans and other dealings in favour of directors and supervisors, 
controlled bodies corporate by and connected entities with such directors and supervisors

As  at  31  December  2016,  there  is  no  loans,  quasi-loans  and  other  dealing  arrangements  in  favour  of  directors  and 
supervisors, controlled bodies corporate by and connected entities with such directors and supervisors (2015: Nil).

(e)  Directors’ and supervisors’ material interests in transactions, arrangements or contracts

No significant transactions, arrangements and contracts in relation to the Group’s business to which the Company was 
a  party  and  in  which  a  director  or  supervisor  of  the  Company  had  a  material  interest,  whether  directly  or  indirectly, 
subsisted at the end of the year or at any time during the year (2015: Nil).

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016228

58   Possible impact of amendments, new standards and interpretations issued 

but not yet effective for the year ended 31 December 2016
Up to the date of issue of these financial statements, the IASB has issued a number of amendments and new standards 
which are not yet effective for the year ended 31 December 2016 and which have not been adopted in these financial 
statements. These include the following which may be relevant to the Group.

Amendments to IAS 7, Statement of cash flows: Disclosure initiative

Effective for 
accounting periods 
beginning on or after

1 January 2017

Amendments to IAS 12, Income taxes: Recognition of deferred tax assets  

1 January 2017

for unrealised losses

IFRS 9, Financial instruments

IFRS 15, Revenue from contracts with customers

1 January 2018

1 January 2018

Amendments to IFRS 2, Share-based payment: Classification and measurement of 

1 January 2018

share-based payment transactions

Amendments to IAS 40, Transfers of investment property

IFRIC 22, Foreign currency transactions and advance consideration

IFRS 16, Leases

1 January 2018

1 January 2018

1 January 2019

The Group is in the process of making an assessment of what the impact of these amendments and new standards is 
expected to be in the period of initial application. So far the Group has identified some aspects of the new standards 
which may have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements. Further details of the expected impacts are 
discussed below. As the Group has not completed its assessment, further impacts may be identified in due course and 
will be taken into consideration when determining whether to adopt any of these new requirements before their effective 
date and which transitional approach to take, where there are alternative approaches allowed under the new standards.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements  
 
229

58   Possible impact of amendments, new standards and interpretations issued 
but not yet effective for the year ended 31 December 2016 (Continued)
IFRS 9, Financial instruments

IFRS 9 will replace the current standard on accounting for financial instruments, IAS 39, Financial instruments: Recognition 
and measurement. IFRS 9 introduces new requirements for classification and measurement of financial assets, calculation 
of  impairment  of  financial  assets  and  hedge  accounting.  On  the  other  hand,  IFRS  9  incorporates  without  substantive 
changes the requirements of IAS 39 for recognition and derecognition of financial instruments and the classification of 
financial liabilities. Expected impacts of the new requirements on the Group’s financial statements are as follows:

(a)  Classification and measurement

IFRS  9  contains  three  principal  classification  categories  for  financial  assets:  measured  at  (1)  amortised  cost, 
(2) fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) and (3) fair value through other comprehensive income (FVTOCI) as 
follows:

– 

– 

The classification for debt instruments is determined based on the entity’s business model for managing 
the  financial  assets  and  the  contractual  cash  flow  characteristics  of  the  asset.  If  a  debt  instrument  is 
classified as FVTOCI then effective interest, impairments and gains/losses on disposal will be recognised 
in profit or loss. 

For  equity  securities,  the  classification  is  FVTPL  regardless  of  the  entity’s  business  model.  The  only 
exception  is  if  the  equity  security  is  not  held  for  trading  and  the  entity  irrevocably  elects  to  designate 
that  security  as  FVTOCI.  If  an  equity  security  is  designated  as  FVTOCI  then  only  dividend  income  on 
that  security  will  be  recognised  in  profit  or  loss.  Gains,  losses  and  impairments  on  that  security  will  be 
recognised in other comprehensive income without recycling.

Based on the preliminary assessment, the Group expects that its financial assets currently measured at amortised 
cost and FVTPL will continue with their respective classification and measurements upon the adoption of IFRS 9.

With  respect  to  the  Group’s  financial  assets  currently  classified  as  “available-for-sale”,  these  are  investments 
in equity securities which the Group may classify as either FVTPL or irrevocably elect to designate as FVTOCI 
(without recycling) on transition to IFRS 9. The Group has not yet decided whether it will irrevocably designate 
these  investments  as  FVTOCI  or  classify  them  as  FVTPL.  Either  classification  would  give  rise  to  a  change  in 
accounting policy as the current accounting policy for available-for-sale equity investments is to recognise fair 
value changes in other comprehensive income until disposal or impairment, when gains or losses are recycled 
to profit or loss in accordance with the group’s policies set out in Note 2(l) and Note 2(f). This change in policy 
will  have  no  impact  on  the  Group’s  net  assets  and  total  comprehensive  income  but  will  impact  on  reported 
performance amounts such as profit and earnings per share.

(b) 

Impairment
The new impairment model in IFRS 9 replaces the “incurred loss” model in IAS 39 with an “expected credit loss” 
model. Under the expected credit loss model, it will no longer be necessary for a loss event to occur before an 
impairment loss is recognised. Instead, an entity is required to recognise and measure expected credit losses 
as  either  12-month  expected  credit  losses  or  lifetime  expected  credit  losses,  depending  on  the  asset  and  the 
facts and circumstances. This new impairment model may result in an earlier recognition of credit losses on the 
Group’s trade receivables and other financial assets. However, a more detailed analysis is required to determine 
the extent of the impact.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016230

58   Possible impact of amendments, new standards and interpretations issued 
but not yet effective for the year ended 31 December 2016 (Continued)
IFRS 9, Financial instruments (Continued)
(c)  Hedge accounting

IFRS 9 does not fundamentally change the requirements relating to measuring and recognising ineffectiveness 
under  IAS  39.  However,  greater  flexibility  has  been  introduced  to  the  types  of  transactions  eligible  for  hedge 
accounting. The Group preliminarily assesses that its current hedge relationships will qualify as continuing hedges 
upon the adoption of IFRS 9 and therefore it expects that the accounting for its hedging relationships will not be 
significantly impacted.

IFRS 15, Revenue from contracts with customers

IFRS  15  is  a  comprehensive  framework  for  recognising  revenue  from  contracts  with  customers,  replacing  IAS  18, 
Revenue,  IAS  11,  Construction  contracts  and  IFRIC  13,  Customer  loyalty  programmes.  The  overall  requirement  is  to 
identify the performance obligations in a sales contract and allocate the total fair value of the consideration receivable 
to them and recognise revenue as each of the obligations are satisfied. The Group is currently assessing the impacts 
of adopting IFRS 15 on its financial statements, including on transition.

The Group’s revenue recognition policies are disclosed in Note 2(x). Generally, revenue relating to transportation service 
is recognised when services are provided. Under IFRS 15, revenue is recognised when the customer obtains control of 
the promised good or service in the contract. Further analysis is required to determine whether this change in accounting 
policy may have a material impact on the amounts reported in any given financial reporting period.

The Group maintains frequent flyer award programmes. Currently, as disclosed in Note 2(x)(ii), the amount received in 
relation to mileage earning flights is allocated, based on fair value, between the flight and mileage earned by members 
of the Group’s frequent flyer award programmes. IFRS 15 requires that the fair value of consideration receivable under a 
sales contract will be allocated to the performance obligations under it in proportion to their estimated standalone selling 
prices, notwithstanding the sales prices indicated in the contract. The Group is assessing whether this requirement will 
affect the recognition of frequent flyer revenue compared to its current allocation methodologies.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements 231

58   Possible impact of amendments, new standards and interpretations issued 
but not yet effective for the year ended 31 December 2016 (Continued)
IFRS 16, Leases

As disclosed in Note 2(k), currently the Group classifies leases into finance leases and operating leases and accounts 
for the lease arrangements differently, depending on the classification of the lease. The Group enters into some leases 
as the lessor and others as the lessee.

IFRS  16  is  not  expected  to  impact  significantly  on  the  way  that  lessors  account  for  their  rights  and  obligations  under 
a lease. However, once IFRS 16 is adopted, lessees will no longer distinguish between finance leases and operating 
leases. Instead, subject to practical expedients, lessees will  account  for all  leases  in  a similar  way  to current finance 
lease accounting, i.e. at the commencement date of the lease the lessee will recognise and measure a lease liability 
at  the  present  value  of  the  minimum  future  lease  payments  and  will  recognise  a  corresponding  “right-of-use”  asset. 
After initial recognition of this asset and liability, the lessee will recognise interest expense accrued on the outstanding 
balance of the lease liability, and the depreciation of the right-of-use asset, instead of the current policy of recognising 
rental expenses incurred under operating leases on a systematic basis over the lease term. As a practical expedient, 
the  lessee  can  elect  not  to  apply  this  accounting  model  to  short-term  leases  (i.e.  where  the  lease  term  is  12  months 
or  less)  and  to  leases  of  low-value  assets,  in  which  case  the  rental  expenses  would  continue  to  be  recognised  on  a 
systematic basis over the lease term.

IFRS 16 will primarily affect the Group’s accounting as a lessee of leases for properties, plant and equipment, aircraft 
and flight equipment which are currently classified as operating leases. The application of the new accounting model 
is expected to lead to an increase in both assets and liabilities and to impact on the timing of the expense recognition 
in  the  income  statement  over  the  period  of  the  lease.  As  disclosed  in  Note  48(b),  at  31  December  2016  the  Group’s 
future  minimum  lease  payments  under  non-cancellable  operating  leases  amount  to  RMB61,215  million  for  properties, 
aircraft and flight equipment, the majority of which is payable either between 1 and 5 years after the reporting date or in 
more than 5 years. Some of these amounts may therefore need to be recognised as lease liabilities, with corresponding 
right-of-use assets, once IFRS 16 is adopted. The Group will need to perform a more detailed analysis to determine the 
amounts of new assets and liabilities arising from operating lease commitments on adoption of IFRS 16, after taking into 
account the applicability of the practical expedient and adjusting for any leases entered into or terminated between now 
and the adoption of IFRS 16 and the effects of discounting.

The Group is considering whether to adopt IFRS 16 before its effective date of 1 January 2019. However, early adoption 
of IFRS 16 is only permitted if this is no earlier than the adoption of IFRS 15. It is therefore unlikely that IFRS 16 will be 
adopted before the effective date of IFRS 15, being 1 January 2018.

(Expressed in RMB unless otherwise indicated)Notes to the Financial Statements China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016232

Condensed Consolidated Income Statement
The following consolidated financial information is extracted from the consolidated financial statements of the Group, prepared 
under the PRC Accounting Standards.

Revenue
Less: Cost of operation

Taxes and surcharges
Selling and distribution expenses
General and administrative expense
Finance expense, net
Impairment loss

Add: Investment income

Operating profit
Add: Non-operating income
Less: Non-operating expenses

Total profit
Less: Income tax

Net profit

Attribute to:

– Equity shareholders of the Company
– Non-controlling interests

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million
(Restated)

114,792
96,359
245
6,402
3,064
5,836
130
717

3,473
4,262
88

7,647
1,759

5,888

5,055
833

5,888

111,500
91,362
275
7,081
2,754
7,825
108
582

2,677
3,816
97

6,396
1,369

5,027

3,892
1,135

5,027

For the year ended 31 December 2016(Prepared in accordance with PRC Accounting Standards)Supplementary Financial Information 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

Assets

Total current assets
Long-term equity investment
Fixed assets and construction in progress
Intangible assets and other non-current assets
Deferred tax assets
Derivative financial instruments

Total assets

Liabilities and equity
Current liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities
Other non-current liabilities

Total Liabilities

Equity shareholders of the Company
Non-controlling interests

Total equity

Total liabilities and equity

233

31 December 
2016
RMB million

31 December 
2015
RMB million
(Restated)

13,764
4,132
175,336
5,487
1,721
21

200,461

67,932
841
76,980

145,753

43,181
11,527

54,708

200,461

14,659
3,453
162,018
4,945
1,411
13

186,499

65,560
938
70,203

136,701

39,191
10,607

49,798

186,499

Supplementary Financial InformationAt 31 December 2016(Prepared in accordance with PRC Accounting Standards)China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
234

Reconciliation of Differences in Financial Statements Prepared Under Different 
GAAPs
(1) 

The effect of the differences between PRC GAAP and IFRSs on profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 
is analysed as follows:

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million
(Restated)

Amounts under PRC GAAP
Adjustments:
Government grants
Capitalisation of exchange difference of specific loans
Adjustments arising from an associate’s business combination 

under common control

Adjustments arising from the Company’s business combination 

under common control

Tax impact of the above adjustments
Effect of the above adjustments on non-controlling interests

(b)
(a)

(c)

(c)

5,055

1
48

(2)

(33)
(4)
(21)

3,892

1
(222)

(2)

(55)
69
53

Amounts under IFRSs

5,044

3,736

(2) 

The effect of the differences between PRC GAAP and IFRSs on equity attributable to equity shareholders of the Company 
is analysed as follows:

Amounts under PRC GAAP
Adjustments:
Capitalisation of exchange difference of specific loans
Government grants
Adjustment arising from an associate’s business combination 

under common control

Adjustment arising from the Company’s business combination 

under common control

Tax impact of the above adjustments
Effect of the above adjustments on non-controlling interests

Note

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million
(Restated)

43,181

39,191

(a)
(b)

(c)

(c)

149
(29)

2

182
(36)
7

101
(30)

4

(225)
(24)
28

Amounts under IFRSs

43,456

39,045

Supplementary Financial InformationFor the year ended 31 December 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
235

Reconciliation of Differences in Financial Statements Prepared Under Different 
GAAPs (continued)
Notes:

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

In accordance with the PRC GAAP, exchange difference arising on translation of specific loans and related interest denominated in a 
foreign currency is capitalised as part of the cost of qualifying assets. Under IFRSs, such exchange difference should be recognised 
in income statement unless the exchange difference represents an adjustment to interest.

In accordance with the PRC GAAP, special funds such as investment grants allocated by the government, if clearly defined in official 
documents as part of “capital reserve”, are credited to capital reserve. Under IFRSs, government grants relating to purchase of fixed 
assets are deducted from the cost of the related fixed assets.

In accordance with the PRC GAAP, the Company and its associate account for the business combination under common control by 
applying the pooling-of-interest method. Under the pooling-of-interest method, the difference between the historical carrying amount 
of the acquiree and the consideration paid is accounted for as an equity transaction. Business combinations under common control 
are accounted for as if the acquisition had occurred at the beginning of the earliest comparative year presented or, if later, at the date 
that common control was established; for this purpose, comparative figures are restated under PRC GAAP. Under IFRSs, the Company 
adopts  the  purchase  accounting  method  for  acquisition  of  business  under  common  control.  In  addition,  adjustments  are  made  to 
make its associate’s accounting policy of business combination under common control conform to the policy of the Company when 
the associate’s financial statements are used by the Company in applying the equity method when preparing its financial statements 
in accordance with IFRSs.

Supplementary Financial InformationFor the year ended 31 December 2016China Southern Airlines Company Limited  Annual Report 2016236

The following consolidated financial information is extracted from the consolidated financial statements of the Group, prepared 
under International Financial Reporting Standards.

Consolidated Income Statement Summary

Operating revenue
Operating expenses
Other net income

Operating profit
Interest income
Interest expense
Share of associates’ results
Share of joint ventures’ results
Exchange (loss)/gain, net
Other non-operating income

Profit before income tax
Income tax

Profit for the year

Profit attributable to:
Equity shareholders of the Company
Non-controlling interests

Profit for the year

Earnings per share
Basic and diluted

Year ended 31 December

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2014
RMB million

2013
RMB million

2012
RMB million

114,981
(106,204)
3,835

111,652
(101,492)
3,278

108,584
(106,026)
2,190

12,612
89
(2,465)
509
102
(3,276)
90

7,661
(1,763)

5,898

5,044
854

5,898

13,438
253
(2,188)
460
108
(5,953)
–

6,118
(1,300)

4,818

3,736
1,082

4,818

4,748
376
(2,193)
261
140
(292)
26

3,066
(668)

2,398

1,777
621

2,398

98,547
(98,280)
1,243

1,510
307
(1,651)
294
96
2,903
25

3,484
(734)

2,750

1,986
764

2,750

99,514
(95,877)
1,462

5,099
235
(1,376)
317
121
267
75

4,738
(954)

3,784

2,619
1,165

3,784

RMB0.51

RMB0.38

RMB0.18

RMB0.20

RMB0.27

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position Summary

2016
RMB million

2015
RMB million

2014
RMB million

2013
RMB million

2012
RMB million

As at 31 December

Non-current assets

186,678

171,876

162,147

144,634

125,667

Net current liabilities

54,168

51,422

26,545

28,640

31,944

Non-current liabilities

77,534

70,830

91,109

73,543

53,989

Total equity attributable to equity 
shareholders of the Company

43,456

39,045

35,748

34,329

32,839

Non-controlling interests

11,520

10,579

8,745

8,122

6,895

For the year ended 31 December 2016(Prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards)Five Year Summary