Chinese carriers face hurdles despite improving first-half results

Despite the fact that one Chinese airline after another has forecast a first-half profit, significant operational challenges still face the industry as it continues to grow. Last week, China Southern Airlines said it expects to reverse a CNY835 million ($110.2 million) loss in the first half of 2006, while Air China forecast net earnings more than 20 times greater than the CNY45.8 million posted in the year-ago semester. China Eastern Airlines expects to return to profit following last ...