China's top three airlines head for full-year losse

China's three biggest airlines are on track for full-year losses after posting far weaker third-quarter results than last year as surging jet fuel costs, weak domestic fares and typhoon disruptions hit what is normally their most profitable period.



Air China and China Eastern Airlines are heading for a seventh consecutive annual net loss since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to analyst estimates compiled by LSEG.



China Southern Airlines, which returned to the black in 2025 for the first time since 2019, is also set to slip back into the red, the estimates showed.



Air China's third-quarter net profit fell 92.6% from a year earlier to $40.62 million.



China Eastern posted a net profit of 9.6 million for the quarter, down 98.2% from 2025.



China Southern swung to a third-quarter net loss of 90 million dollars $572.7 dollars last year.



All three airlines reported losses for the first nine months of the year, a period in which they were profitable in 2025.